


Sour Candy

by leechailatten



Category: NCT (Band), SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Coming Out, Fluff and Smut, Fuckbuddies, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Self-Denial, Sex Toys, Sex Toys Under Clothing, Sexting, Shameless Smut, Teasing, Texting, a lot of kissing but like a lot lot of kissing, insane amount of making out, slight daddy kink, terrible comunication at some points, there's something sinful in every damn chapter (almost)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:53:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 204,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27109048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leechailatten/pseuds/leechailatten
Summary: After an out of body experience, Taeyong becomes Ten's fuckbuddy, which everyone know that's a temporal relationship status bound to become something different. The thing is that they can't seem to get to the fuck part.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Kim Jungwoo/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Taeyong/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten
Comments: 150
Kudos: 416





	1. The meeting.

Taeyong's hand can't stop shaking as he puts the measuring band around his tiny waist, and it doesn't make it any better that the boy in question pulls up his sweater a bit more to let him adjust it tighter around his body.

The story of how he has ended up like this is kind of funny, at least for the ones that hear him talk about the sheer coincidence that made it possible. 

They say the world is a handkerchief and that six steps are enough to connect anybody in the world with another. 

Lee Taeyong is nothing too spectacular, from his own point of view. 

He is a 25 years old man that likes to enjoy a simple life, as long as it's happy, and that has been professionally working by his mother's side for a couple of years now. 

After he finished college, where he got a degree related to the world of fashion and haute couture, his mother made a place for him in her tailoring shop being part of the team that completed the services of the atelier together. They do a little bit of everything there's to do for professionals like them, from correcting the seams of business people's suits to help people chose and fix outfits for important dates, or even makde design and fitting sessions for custom commisions, but those, despite being Taeyong’s favorite jobs, are harder to come across (and paid a lot better). 

However, Taeyong doesn’t complain about his job, he considers himself lucky that his mother and him happened to have similar interests while pursuing a career and that she had invested in her own business years ago. Having somewhere safe to start in the market is always a nice asset, he acknowledges this, more than most when he has watched how stressful it can be to get a salary through the experiences of his friends.

The atelier feels like a second house to Taeyong, the welcoming atmosphere always makes him feel good or just hate to get up early some days less. It looks a bit small from the outside, where the retro front dressing with black and golden frames for the gate and windows welcomes customers in, but the inside is more stylish thanks to her mother's refurbishment, very profound and spacious to hold the different rooms for fitting appointments and the main room with the counter and easy chairs to wait if the day is busy or the turns have been caught in delays. They even had tea, coffee and some pastry everyday to offer to customers if they came in for long appointments.

As said, a simple and happy existence that Taeyong has been living for two years after the stress of college. 

But it's well known that sometimes, life just takes unexpected turns. For instance, your hardworking mother accepting a commission from a model agency who wanted to fix a planned outfit from a magazine photoshoot to fit one of their models properly after changing the lineup of the attendance.

It sounds like just another day when you work in a tailoring shop, fitting and measuring is part of their daily life, but when Mrs. Lee told Taeyong that she had taken this particular job and that Taeyong should take care of it, the son felt a renewed kind of inspiration for the upcoming rarity of the appointment. Photoshoot clothing for a magazine sounded way too good to him. 

Taeyong loves his job, he has always thought he has chosen the best for himself as it makes him passionate and happy. He likes the colorful scheme of materials around him, the chatting of customers and, especially, the creativity he needs for some orders. He likes to come up with new styles or experimental innovations, like a child playing with his toys, but he is getting paid for it too, and that’s always a plus.

Money is appealing, if you have a sense of this society, that’s a fact. 

Needless to say, his mother trusting him enough to lead the completion of an important commission makes him not only content but proud of himself for improving his skills.

He can remember how he rushed last week to see the specifications of the request in the database of the tailoring shop’s computer as soon as she mentioned it.

In the screen, there was the hour of the appointment, the note that gave account of the task to complete, being the fixing and slight redesign of a two piece set, and an estimated price for the whole job. With all of this, there was also a contact number next to the name of a model agency that Taeyong found familiar, but he overlooked that fact, since he usually reads lots of news about the fashion scene in Korea and he should have read it before wherever. The digit under the preliminar deposit was high enough to be their first time engaging their services as well, which gave him a bit more of that slight pressure to make his best, but it was refreshing to count with a vote of confidence in his favour. 

But then, the additional note in the corresponding box for additional inputs let him out of the game for a solid couple of minutes. The peace of mind and tranquility just, _puf!_ evaporated from his mind as he read the memo that his mother had left. 

_‘Business related costume for Ten Lee (model)’_

What a cruel joke from either destiny or his mother to put Taeyong in this tesiture, because in front of Ten Lee, he knew well that couldn’t keep his mind in the correct thing or his composure unwavering.

So he is there now, half crunched in front of Ten, and his eyes are lining with his firm abdomen where he should be taking measurements instead of pondering about how very smooth his honey skin looks. 

Merely by accident, Taeyong's fingers are so shaky that they slip accidentally and brush Ten's belly faintly, which makes him not able to press down a small feel of embarrassment and yet a bit of excitement at the same time.

It’s indeed smooth and pleasant under his fingertips. So much, that the tailor knows he would love to press his lips on his navel and the thought lingers on him for a split second before his senses remind him to shake his head and forget about a thought that's highly inapropiate for the situation they are in. 

He looks up to the model, his eyes wide. Ten, however, holds his gaze without really making a big deal out of the situation, appearing to be bordering sheer boredom. Taeyong tells himself that it's not that bad, after all, he just touched a few inches of bare skin. 

“Oh, sorry, my hand slipped" he says, so Ten chuckles and looks away, noticing that, by this side there's obviously a full body mirror reflecting the entire scene. 

Taeyong suspects that the tip of his ears may have become redder than they should be on a normal day of spring while the temperature of Seoul is still gentle and Ten can see that on the mirror. 

"Don't worry, it's okay. Unless you are holding pins. Please, don't let you hand slip with sharp things on them, I work with my image"

Even though he can tell it's a gentle joke, Taeyong only hums lightly in response, almost forgetting the number he had to write on the paper for his mother and him to fix the outfit that Ten’s agency had requested them to make. He goes to the notebook that he has open on the floor with his pen and writes down the two digits. Not that he is a nutritionist, but he can't help but to think about how he is just model-like right. 

Well... what an obvious thing to think.

Once he is done with Ten's waist, Taeyong's brain moves on to think that the source of his pathetic trembling pulse is gone, but then he finds himself standing up and getting close to the model, saying the classic three words of "allow me, sir" holding the metric band to wrap it around his chest. 

Ten pulls up his top even higher than before, and his arms move to the position that allows Taeyong to surround him with both his arms and the yellow meter, which he draws taut to his flesh, pushing him to the front as if he has tied him.

The tip of his fingers press on his skin, slow and rigorous whilst he lines the meter correctly to take an accurate digit out of the -unnerving- process. In the new position he can feel the regular pulse of Ten’s heart, steady inside his chest, the warmth of his flesh and his takes of breath when they fill his lungs. 

Further proof that Ten Lee is a living, real person and not his hallucination.

Now, Ten has to be used to all of this processes if he is such a big star, and Taeyong knows for sure that he is a star to an extent, enough for making him admire the model through and through. It's obvious just by seeing how he knows how to stand in front of him and flow fluidly synchronized with Taeyong’s movements to measure him.

The problem is that it’s Taeyong himself whose experience is betraying him.

Measuring people? He has it under control.

Ten? _Oh boy_. 

He admires Ten. A considerable bunch, indeed.

Ever since Taeyong saw his appearance in one of the first issues he participated in, he caught his eye. Thinking about it right now makes him feel a bit infantile, but there was something written on themodel that just made Taeyong feel sort of caught in a heady daze. The tailor looked through photoshoots like that one often, and so he watched a myriad of models pass through him providing him with no impressions whatsoever, but Ten just didn’t leave him indifferent. 

He remembers that first picture. Printed on paper, he wasn’t prominently muscular or tall, but he had a different air in the way he posed. In that photo that Taeyong had seen at first, he had black hair with short bangs, wet for the concept and a bit pushed back but still messy and effortless. He was wearing some push set of black clothes and a pair of striking glasses. 

His tiny name written in a corner of the page ended up imprinted in Taeyong’s mind, so when a couple more of his pictures found their way to the tailor it was easy to tangle up with his existence. 

Out of it, Taeyong grew fond of his eyes the most. They were the deepest shade of black- when he wasn’t wearing contacts- but they looked lax, capable of adapting to the mood when the background changed. Even when he wasn’t tense, he could make them look strong, and even when he was sumptuous, his eyes may shine sensitive. 

"Breath" says Ten with a small and yet funny click of his tongue, wrecking Taeyong's train of thought.

It's the only thing that makes Taeyong notice that his lungs are too tight. He has been holding his respiration for some reason that isn't more than his shyness kicking in. He does catch a breath although he is considering not to, in favour to die and leave the increasing embarrassment of that appointment behind as soon as possible. But he doesn't want to be a headline that reads something like ' _Son is left supervising the family's business. Dies from crush in front of his eyes_ '

Ten would look fantastic on the newspaper's cover, but it would be a pity to waste the picture of his face in black and white printing quality.

"Are you new?" asks Ten, presumably to get rid of the awkwardness clouding over them. 

For fuck's sake, what is he thinking about, this is his job and Ten is also doing part of his job, and it shouldn't be something about flirting or anything. He can forget about that, because Ten is his client first, and also a professional model that has done this process thousands of times and takes his career seriously, so making it like his fantasy inside his mind is something that Taeyong shouldn’t be doing at all. 

He shakes his head without looking at his eyes to not lose the trace of his conclusion.

"I'm not doing that bad of a job so you have to ask that, am I?" He finally says, forcing a smile that tries not to be awkward and lift the mood, maybe being more enjoyable in his conversation to not bore a model to death and make him recommend the shop to his friends and company. 

Maybe just give a good review in Naver. 

"Oh no, is not that" answers Ten, sounding strangely amused. "I am just asking to know if I should be concerned by the abnormal doddering of your hands or if it's just not a medical condition that wants to make us call an ambulance"

Taeyong kicks himself internally. 

_Okay_. 

People say that meeting your idol is risking to be disappointed by them not being just like you think. And Taeyong is, in fact, upset, but it doesn't have to do with the model in front of him, letting his shirt go back to its normal state as Taeyong notes another number in his notebook. 

Ten is just like he imagined he would be, cordial, with a mildly sharp edge of humor; the problem is that he had been visualising this moment so many times and, in his daydream, he had always been more witty, not just a shy, dumb mess.

He isn't even like this on a daily basis, so why starting now? 

"I am not new, you don't have to worry about your outfit, I'll do it professionally" says Taeyong, trying to drag the conversation back to the formal terms of discourse. "You probably have never seen me here before because my mother is always taking care of the important orders herself, but I learned from her well and earned the position. I am young, but I take it seriously" 

Ten stretches out an arm so Taeyong can measure the length of his sleeves, and the tailor can swear that he sees a small tilt in his lips with the corner raising up a little.

"It’s good to know, actually, thanks for giving me your references. But I am not concerned about that now"

"What are you concerned about?" Asks Taeyong inevitably, engaging in the conversation, as he considers that getting to know Ten is an opportunity that comes one's way every blue moon.

Nothing forbids conversing with customers, right? He is not cheating on his own rule. Being able to have mild conversations are in fact a clear positive point in the business ratings. 

Ten's smile grows a tad wider.

"I'm a thinker" he states, as a beginning. "So I am counting the possible reasons for your unsteady hand”

“What are your options so far?” 

“Well. One can be that you are sick or tired and need to take a break to recharge, in which case I would be feeling guilty of keeping you up. Two, you could be expecting an important call from someone like an employer, the University's council or something in that line, because everybody knows paperwork is unnerving. Finally, and this is a speculation, it could happen that I am making you nervous"

"Those are a lot of possibilities that you thought about, considering the short moment you have been in here"

Ten checks his watch, angling his face to see it on his left wrist without moving the arm Taeyong is measuring for an inch. 

"Fourteen minutes" 

"Short" affirms Taeyong again, eyes leaving to the notebook on the table again to write down the sleeve's length. 

His expectation is to dodge the implicit question in Ten's list of suppositions, maybe just for long enough to come up with something proper of him and not dull as he has been feeling for the last... how many? Fourteen minutes. 

But of course, Ten doesn’t happen to please his silent wish, going back to his comfortable pose.

"So what's going to be?"

"You want the truth?"

"Something tells me I do" 

"Sure" says Taeyong, making Ten turn on his heels so he can measure his back. 

With one touch on his shoulder, the model knows what Taeyong is going to do next and moves easily, straightening his back well for the other to plant the meter across the upper part of his back, brushing all to be taut and straight. 

Maybe not looking at his eyes while he talks can help him saying it with a firm thread of voice, but that ain't going to be the case, since the model stares at him through the mirror anyways and makes it almost worse with the entire reflection of them together like that. 

It’s rude to not pay attention to someone talking to you, but Taeyong curses Ten's good manners. 

"You do. Although it seemed to be the last of your options, you make me nervous"

"Why? I assure you I have never been the kind of mean celebrity that goes to talk-shows and yell to other people. Doesn't your mother find me pleasant? She said something about me when she told her to care for me?"

Taeyong sure hopes his mother does find Ten pleasant, he has been planning to bring someone like him home one day. Maybe he could even say that he has been dreaming about bringing exactly him, to be honest. 

"In fact," continues Ten in which Taeyong assumes is his gentle and peaceful way to help him through the panicked state that the model couldn't even trace back to him. "If I were you, I wouldn't even care about confrontation with me. I am not that famous, anyways. I guess your mother told you I am out of convenience" 

"But you are" he replies quickly, not thinking about it a lot. 

For a little bit of variation since he had gotten there, Ten makes a move that doesn’t look choreographic to turn around and look at Taeyong, but the latter holds his waist to tell him to stay still, pulling a bunch of pins out of nowhere and waving them as a silent warning. 

He hopes that the model is not as used to this process as it seems, because he doesn't want to explain why a tailor would need pins to take measurements and make the speech make sense.

Ten holds in a sigh of slight disappointment and continues the conversation."Mean or famous?" 

"Famous" says Taeyong, about instantly.

He writes down the shoulder width together with the other numbers of his list and moves the band to take the back length, observing not-so-professionally the shape of Ten's posterior view and biting his nail for a moment.

After seeing him in a wide number of fashion magazines, he came to the conclusion that Ten was so artistic everytime, so at a certain moment, he had also started reading his interviews, watching his videos and following some accounts related to him to get to know a bit more of his vision, falling for his mindset. 

But right now, the spotlight of his mind is the tense feeling of having to watch that butt in a set of pleated pants and not comment about it. 

"I would say I am moderately famous" 

"Well, I have seen several of your works" says Taeyong not bothering to highlight that he had probably seen all of them at this rate "And they are fantastic, so I would say it counts" 

He presses the yellow measurement band all the way down to his waistband and checks the digit in silence. 

He puts it down on the paper. 

Then, he looks up to Ten, with his back still facing him and looking at the tailor through the mirror. 

Now that is a look.

"So you have..." comments Ten, voice more velvety than what Taeyong can stand and his face showing some cryptic expression. 

Taeyong's blonde hair seems to stand on end for a moment. With what kind of face is he supposed to go in front of Ten now and kneel to take measurements of his trousers without getting redder than the dresses of their bridesmaids section? 

"You look surprised," he manages to says playfully. Well, at least he has abandoned vapidity, if not shyness. Step by step, he'll get to his desired state of looking interesting. "Were you unaware that those magazines are open for the public?"

The kind of smile that spreads on Ten's face might have been seen by some like the type to make you want to slap it off from the person in question, but for Taeyong, with his mind full of dreams about the model and keen ears to keep him talking, it looks sensual. 

Well, he has always had a special place in his heart- and pants- for people with fun villainous vibes. 

He likes fun, what can he say. 

The model chuckles too, looking truly funny with their conversation. 

"I am perfectly informed that my photoshoots are made public. At least, most of them" Taeyong doesn't want to fall into the trap of asking about the secret ones, he knows his cheeks may flush with the answer. "The thing that makes me so surprised, if I call it the same way that you did, is that my pictures can make you nervous."

Taeyong looked at him, a bit speechless from the table, where he had deposited his notebook. 

The model is still staring only through the reflection of the mirror. 

"You ain't gonna ask why?"

"Well, yes, I am going to ask why" helplessly retorts Taeyong, starting to feel like maybe he would want to slap Ten a little bit deep down. "Why?" 

"Because you could perfectly be switching spots with me right now and no one would ever complain about your face being Vogue August issue's cover" 

"I would complain"

"Don't like cameras?"

"I have no problem with photoshoots" punctuates Taeyong "But I like you, specifically"

Ah yeah, he says that with his whole chest and there are little to zero regrets in his voice until he hits the period at the end of it and everything falls over him like a slab.

“Oh, really?”

"Let's say that this Fabio Mancini dude that works for Armani walks in and asks me to knit a thong for him. I would just do it, but you... it's not your face"

Once he says all of it, Taeyong thinks that maybe it was too much to say in the first meeting, but he can't be blamed, Ten is playing curious and lying is not his forte, so confess his dumb fixation for him is the only way out.

At least Taeyong can say that he told Ten the things he really thinks about him before he fills a restraining order for putting it down in his workplace.

The model is too silent for the big mouth he is proving to have during this whole session, so either Taeyong has creeped him out or he has mistaken his easy way with words. Perhaps Taeyong has just walked into the territory Ten wanted to take him to, judging by the faint curl of his lips up and the conceited shine of his eyes.

The tailor gets closer to him again and crunchs back again to measure the length of his legs and then, with a bit more of risk, the rise. 

"I am a model, what is so interesting about me that's not my face?" He asks suddenly. His tone has something different. His question is genuine, but not as if he doubts himself or would say that he is an uninteresting person. Then he adds, scoffing "Body?" 

Is not like those physical things are not a part of it, especially considering the casual stretch of Ten's arm above his head to loosen his stiff muscles for holding his position for toolong, which gices Taeyong a nice view of his preciously lined body.

But he shakes his head. 

Satisfied, the tailor is watching that his fingers don't shiver as much as before when he presses his fingertips against his leg, moving too tentatively up his thigh to have decided that he is going to be proper. 

"Well that's a pity" claims the younger "Because this is the most sexual tension charged tailoring session I have ever had. For a moment I thought you found me attractive"

Taeyong snaps his head up way too fast, with his hand lingering over him and the meter cinching around his thigh, but Ten looks away with a small giggle. 

_'Taeyong, for fuck's sake, be professional, this is your job'_

_'But he is flirting'_

_'He is being nice'_

_'Nice? That's straight up flirting'_

_'But mom left you in charge!'_

His mind is going around full circle.

“It was a joke” adds Ten, looking at how Taeyong’s face has become blank and not wanting to make him awkward. 

More. 

The model always has thought that the light vibe of his funny side translated well into his voice, but he starts to pose that idea again. 

“This is my job” the tailor can finally say, for some reason he doesn’t even stop to meditate since he just wants to talk and not look like a simple-minded idiot. "So...yeah, it's my job, it would be inapropiate if this moves to another lane"

“Yes, of course.” says Ten. “Good person in a bad moment, right?” he murmurs under his breath. 

Taeyong is still able to hear the last sentence. 

_‘Dammit, Taeyong’_

“We are done with measurements,” he explains, almost in pain for having to pretend that he couldn’t hear that. “That’s all for today. You can pass to the counter so I can give you your ticket and the next appointment”

With nothing more than a nod, Ten goes to the counter as Taeyong has indicated. 

“We’ll be redesigning your costume and make a second fitting appointment in the next session, okay?”

“Yes, perfect”

“It’s going to take some time,” explains Taeyong. Even though one of his hands is busy with the way he is biting his nail and the other is shaking again, he is tapping the keyboard of the computer to add everything to the agenda and get a ticket ready that goes out of the printer in a second. “So I’ll give you something in like...one and half a week, is that too bad?”

“I think it’s not, we have time until I have to wear this one, but if we need to rush it I’ll tell my PA to call back and adjust it” 

“Sure, we are open from 9am to 8pm. There’s also an email address available. Sorry that it’s like this, the season is very busy” 

“Sure” Ten plays it cool and polite, and smiles at him, fiddling with his things to put them in the small pouch he is carrying with space enough to fit the ticket folded and secure. “I guess we’ll see each other again then, Lee Taeyong” 

Everything fits him well, but his full name is what fits Ten the best, in his opinion. 

Taeyong bite his lip as he watches him. He can’t help to take a pen and give his little something to the recipe before leaving it back on Ten’s palm. 

“I guess. I hope” 

“You do?” he chuckles.

“You are one of those customers I enjoy to see, I guess” 

“Sure. Then until the next time”

“Bye”

He goes out of the store with the ring of the tiny bell of the door. 

Taeyong can see him through the big window as he starts walking and puts everything in order. And when he takes a look at the ticket before putting it inside his bag, there's the funny-looking scribble of a phone number and the TY initials next to a fancy looking heart shape.

He hopes, as he loses the vision of the model walking down the street, that he has got it right taking that liberty. 

_***_

Well, Ten is a busy man. 

He has to go to the fitting appointment, contact his personal assistant for the next week's schedule, and go to his most recent photoshoot.

Is not like he is busy like this every day, but the last month has been more hectic because fashion week is around the corner and every model is trying to butt in the lineup of famous brands to bust up their careers. And so it’s Ten.

He has Taeyong's receipt in his bag and carries it everywhere since the past week but he hasn't called yet. 

Is not as if he didn't have time to check it out and send him some text like "hey, this is Ten 🍆💦" but he is also wondering if it's worthy to take the time.

Let's be honest, Ten is not the most popular model in Seoul, but having the face to do the job, it's clearly not the first time that someone slips their phone number on a napkin or a coffee cup to try their luck with him. 

Taeyong, thought, was a bit different when they met. 

He had been trying to hold it back and then he even rejected whatever they were thinking about in their synchronised moment of measuring appointment because he wanted to be professional.

Professional? Come on. It made Ten chuckle in the middle of the subway's wagon while recalling it. With Taeyong's hands all over him he wouldn't have minded if he unprofessionally pushed him on the counter, no? 

Maybe he deserves the text that gives him his number back, but what if it was just a heated moment and the conversation is awkward and cold? Is it worth the try?

It's easy to break a pleasant memory like that one _._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	2. Sexting.

[19:43] XX XXXX YYYY: Hi, this is Ten 🥰🤭🍆💦"

Four words and four emojis that Taeyong stares at as they light up on the screen of his phone, all the blood of his head leaving him for a better place.

He had thought Ten wouldn't text him at all. 

It has been a week or more, it definitely has felt like more, and the tailor had already moved into the phase of acceptance for the declining where he wonders when did everything go wrong between them. 

Was his nervousness? Wasn't Ten really as interested as he thought he perceived? Was he busy? Did Taeyong have a bad breath? Should he change his toothpaste?

None of that seems to be relevant in his brain anymore, those thoughts become a problem of the past as soon as he reads the message. 

He is almost scared of opening it and making the tiny number one disappear from the chatroom as a read receipt without anything good to reply to a text that made his pulse pound too hard and his body warm up dangerously. 

He crosses his legs, discreetly, just in case.

The screen fades to a darker color and then to black, but Taeyong is already unlocking the phone and saving the contact. 

He hasn't noticed that a playful smile is drawing on his lips as he fills the contact name space, so he doesn’t really try to hide it. 

**[Ten🔥]**

If they are going to use emojis, let's use them well, it's not like the ones the model used to greet him are leaving anything up to the doubt of what he is looking for with Taeyong. 

Oh god, he… wants him. 

Ten Lee wants him. 

How is that even happening with the major naturality of his daily life? It seems unreal when the situation has gone from looking at his instagram pictures, studying every angle of the shot he posted and imagining how it would be if he had the slightest chance; to meet him in person and fall on his hands like a passtime and then to this final point, where he is being contacted after an unkept doodle in a recipe that he had put there with a bit too much of faith. 

Taeyong bites and tug from the skin around his nails, staring at the screen between nervous and bold, his leg moving restlessly up and down.

[19:45] Babyboy💕: For the future record of u making me wait like this for smth else, im impatient 💋😇

He is about to put the phone back inside his pocket when it buzzes once more in his hand.

[19:45] Ten🔥: do I need to pretend that ain't hot?

Taeyong feels that his face is, indeed, a bit hotter than normal. 

This can't be happening in his real life, he pinches himself on his arm and yelps with the pain to make sure he is not hallucinating. 

He cannot count the times he has quoted a tweet of magazine's websites that published Ten photographs with those goofy reaction pictures saying something like "graphics quality: daddiest".

Those memes are close to the feeling that he is getting now, even when the screen turns off again, but it’s so much more real now. 

A joke can't save him now, but that’s stupidly thrilling, if he has to say so himself. 

He types in, fingers a bit wobbly but mind focused on what he wants to get. 

[19:45] Babyboy💕: why pretend when u can tell me things straight to me? didn't u have enough time to think whatchu wanna tell me? 🥺

[19:45] Ten🔥: I have more than one idea of what I want to do with you, bb

Taeyong bites his nail hard enough for his hand to slip and make a small sound when it bumps on the table, getting a curious look from Jungwoo who's sitting in front of him. However, the younger one let's it flow and keeps with his ongoings without a word when he sees him on his phone.

They are having a Conversation. 

Capital letters. 

It is sexting. 

And no, it's not Taeyong’s first time by far, but never he thought he would do that with Ten fucking Lee. 

He types all the fast his fingers allow him to do without getting typos that show the model he wasn't just being sly when he mentioned his impatience. 

[19:46] Babyboy💕: sure

[19:46] Babyboy💕: u got a lot of hypothesis the other day under 14min of being with me

[19:46]Babyboy💕: guess it’s the same now

[19:46]Babyboy💕: what's in your mind?

He knows he has walked into Ten's zone, straight up to the trap, but is not like he hasn't been dreaming vividly about it. 

He is ready to get caught on this.

Okay, maybe he is not. 

He is not ready, his mind is still catching up, but he wants it anyway. 

[19:48] Ten🔥: so let's start by pushing you against the wall… 

[19:48] Ten🔥: i would have liked that the other day

[19:48] Ten🔥: pin you there as you feel my body against yours... still with everything on because I want to show you how horny you make me first

His phone slips from his hand and lands on the table with the screen straight to the wood and a high-pitched and yet muffled whimper that puts the whole table in silence to look at him.

He is definitely not ready. 

"What's up?" asks Jungwoo, curious about his friend, who is picking up his phone hastily and checking that the glass of his phone is still a whole piece after the free fall.

"You okay there?" Joins in Johnny, making Taeyong nod quickly and take a sip of the glass in front of him. 

Maybe a bit too long for what Taeyong is when alcohol is in the game. 

It's still 7PM, maybe a little early to be out for some drinks, but he is not regretting asking for something more enhancing than soda today, because his blood pressure is doing flips. 

"What was that about? You look... excited?" adds Doyoung, fidgeting with the little paper umbrella of his glass. 

He was the one who had the idea of going out together in the first place, the one at fault that everyone is getting tipsy so soon, but no one had denied the plan to him. 

Kim Doyoung, as independent as he may seem for people foreing to their group, has always been a person that likes keeping people close. Feeling lonely is not his vibe, but lately, he seems to have been dealing with the idea of falling irremediably into solitude; so their friends tried to keep him company as much as they could, especially when he asked for it, just to show to him that there wasn’t anything wrong with him that kept everyone away, as he had voiced he though sometime. 

Taeyong can't help the funny giggle that comes out from him, shaking his head a little.

"Work stuff" he lies, in the blink of an eye. 

It's definitely not work, he had delayed these moments of unrestrained sincerity with Ten exactly for that reason, and heaven knows it wasn't easy to hold it in when the model was there, motionless for Taeyomg to cinch a band all over his body under his absolute will.

If he ever knew it would turn out as straightforward as their chat is going so far, the hastines wouldn't have let him act as righteous as he did last time. 

“Come on, is not a guy?” asks Jungwoo, lips curling up shamelessly. "It’s been a while since the last time"

"It’s not a guy. Just give me a moment" 

He types again, mouth watering at Ten's bold comment waiting for him when he unlocks the screen again, right above the writing bar. 

Yes, it makes the tip of his ears turn red as he reads what he has written but in his stomach, the tingles of excitement start bubbling up, and his blood's temperature threatens to rise even more. 

[19:50] Babyboy💕: hhmm baby

[19:50] Babyboy💕: i like how that sounds

[19:50] Babyboy💕: and then what?

[19:50] Ten🔥: then?

[19:51] Babyboy💕: yes

[19:51] Babyboy💕: when im against the wall … then what? 

[19:52] Ten🔥: I bet you wanna know 

[19:52] Babyboy💕: for sure 

[19:53] Ten🔥: but duty calls bb 

[19:53] Ten 🔥: i gotta go and do some work now

[19:53] Ten 🔥: don't be too inpatient 

[19:54] Ten 🔥: or would you?

Taeyong's jaw drops without even trying, trying to process the way things had unravelled. 

On _purpose_. 

Ten is going to let him hanging on purpose. 

He suspects that it may be the younger's form of revenge for the way he had cut him up when they met, but it’s so cruel nonetheless. 

Did that piss Ten off so much?

He can't want Taeyong that bad, right? Not yet.

[19:54] Babyboy💕: i wanna change my answer

[19:54] Babyboy💕: u so mean 

[19:54] Babyboy💕: 😔

***

Taeyong wakes up the morning after just when the sun is rising, at 8am or so. 

The timing is just right to do everything he had to do, from getting off bed and showering to have breakfast, get dressed and go to work. 

Just a normal day, but he blames Doyoung's loneliness for the slight drill in his brain after a couple of soju glasses more than he should during a weekday.

They need to find that idiot a boyfriend before he ends their careers, but then again, Doyoung doesn't break character like that often. 

After hours and a drunk confession from his friend, Taeyong would have punched the date that made Doyoung delete Tinder and drink for his life in the face, but what's done it's done.

He lazily pulls his phone, that has been charging in the night table, to his chest, checking the time. 

There are some notifications clouding his screen. 

[03:30] Johnny: sleep well, sleeping beauty 💖

As per usual, his best friend acting a sweetheart. He always checked up if Taeyong and the others arrived home safely after separating at night, and usually kept light conversation with the tailor before sleeping. 

It had become a habit for them through the years. 

There's also meaningless talks from his friends in the group chat, but he doesn't check thoroughly. His sleepy vibe is not in the mood to read the whole dispute between Jungwoo and Doyoung about which vegetable tastes worse. It took them 86 messages to get there, and most of them were just a drunk Doyoung yelling that it was cucumbers in capital letters while Jungwoo replied that cucumbers were fruits. 

Nothing from the chat with the fire emoji title yet. 

Taeyong's lips quirk up upset, but he tells himself not to be eager and text again until the model does it first. 

Maybe he is being childish, but he can't act so desperate at the first turn of the wheel, there ar1e less than thirty texts between them and, as much as Taeyong enjoys begging in certain occasions, he is going to ask for a bit more than that before he jumps straight into the pit. 

Ten wants to play again. Maybe. And Taeyong is not the one that would complain about that from him. 

He is the type of person that likes all of Ten's pictures on instagram, reads his posts religiously and even has a… well, he should change his twitter name in case the model could bump across the account and link it back to Taeyong. The tailor doesn't think that, for the type of thing that he had the luck to start reeling with Ten, a username like " _Ten Lee's eye mole is cute_ " is suitable.

He quickly changes it to " _Tyong_ ".

There's also a notification from youtube, a new cover from Baekhyunee. He likes this singer a lot and has followed him for a while, his voice is perfect for RnB music, soothing and chilling. 

Also two notifications from instagram.

 **[You have been mentioned in one picture from Do0_96]**

Yes, he remembers taking those snaps that appear on the screen when he taps. 

It's a two pictures set album of Doyoung posing on some stairs they came across the past night on their way to pick an uber. His friend had put his account's name next to a camera emoji to give him the credits of the picture. Nice of him, Taeyong has a talent for taking his friend's pictures, he should be paid for it, but he doesn't complain because his actual job is actually rather high standing. A professional tailor can set a nice score in the bank to live well. 

He swipes to see the other notification.

Ah.

**[tenlee_1001 has made a post]**

Taeyong is already biting his fingers again, and he is still in bed. The tension this boy puts him under is unmatched, he has started to notice during this past couple of days, but at the same time, it's not annoying. 

After all, it can be said that Lee Taeyong has always been an advocate for passion. 

It's always a good feeling what comes from passion, something pumping through his veins when someone he’s comfortable with and attracts him gets close to him confidently. There's the slow raise of chemistry pooling around. It becomes pleasant to get closer and closer, the mood starts filling up until it's too much and it oozes, things go fast, hectic, breathtaking and messy and… Taeyong doesn't know why he is like that, but he is. 

He has been there before, but the epitome of his body feeling keen comes from this one boy that he casually found in a magazine page one day.

Taeyong tends to read a lot of fashion magazines to be updated in the latest trends and find inspiration for his very own designs, so he usually sees a lot of new ideas when the seasons start. 

Nonetheless, Ten grabbed his attention in a different kind of way, pulling him in until he was totally fascinated. 

His approaches to fashion and expression are so elevating every time he checks him out in a new work, and so he holds respect for him. 

Ten's manners are gentle, and maybe not fully masculine, but with a soft edge to them that made him look safe. Someone that could be trusted and that would make Taeyong give up in his arms to be conducted wherever he decided he wanted to take the tailor too. 

Being under pressure because of him is not a problem at all. If anything, Taeyong wishes the pressure of Ten really gets to be _on top_ of him soon enough.

He chuckles for himself and then taps the bell shaped button on his profile to turn off the notifications. Just in case. He doesn’t want his phone to notify him of a post in an inappropriate moment if he was trying to be discreet because of professional reasons. 

Finally he opens the lattest post of Ten's profile, and the way he swallows down his own saliva seems too rough even for Taeyong himself. 

There's no way that publication is legal.

In his screen, fully on display, there's the shot of what he supposes it’s the behind the scenes of whichever shot Ten had been doing the previous days, when he last answered to Taeyong with that unnerving phrase, playing hard to get. 

He is posing with his arms stretched up and his hands holding onto a random bar of a metal structure, hip popping out slightly. His body is wrapped on a gorgeous white shirt, a short black jacket with thin stripes of white that matches the tie and the point of the outfit, the pants with a waist so high that it looks like a waist cincher corset crossed by a belt.

It was a tight fit that, as a tailor, makes him whoa and think of the skills of the one who put it together so perfectly for Ten's size. But as Lee Taeyong, he is thinking about his hands on his skin pressing as tight as the material of the corset.

Taeyong licks his dry lips. 

Okay, he is starting to think that a good part of his liking for Ten is his physic, but it's normal, he looks way too hot and esthetic doing literally anything. He has the sharp edges of a fit man but also some fluid mannerism that… 

Out of habit Taeyong is already double tapping the picture for that white, big heart to show up in the post.

Taeyong looks at it pop, and the heart under the picture fills up with red. 

He stares at it blankly and then, his heart bumps in his cage and he tosses the phone on the bed in panic. 

The screen is black over his pink sheets as his hands go to his messy blonde hair in a gesture of panic mixed with sheer indignation with himself.

That was so damn clumsy.

Okay. He has to breathe. Literally millions of people like Ten's pictures, and even if the model could find his very specific name in between the endless list of favs, it's already been made obvious that Taeyong knew of the existence of Ten and his works previous to his professional arrival. 

It's okay, it doesn't look desperate or eager. He tells so to himself. 

Acting like a cold hearted bitch is not going to take him anywhere, anyways. 

The screen lights up again with a small sound. 

Taeyong swears he can yell.

As he approaches the device with a scaredy cat-like heart and sees the name in the pop up message, his heart eases up a little bit more.

[08:06] Johnny: do you have any of those adhesive tape rolls for when you bump your fragile body against the coffee table and bruise like a peach?

[08:06] Johnny: you know which ones, the medical ones

[08:06] Johnny: i have run out of them for my yoga class

[08:07] TY: good morning to u too

[08:06] TY: and yes, i do have some

[08:06] TY: wanna come here to get them or should i go to yours and give them to you?

Taeyong types as he stretches his back, bones cracking, and starts coming out from his bed to start the morning, eyes not heavy anymore after the gush of excitement that Ten's photo has left behind inside him. 

Starting the morning thirsting over a model may not be collected, but effective? Yes, sir.

He looks up from the screen, tossing the device on his bed to check himself out in the mirror briefly and see if the previous night and the soju has caused any unexpected harm. 

His face is still puffy, and he has some eyebags, but nothing that can’t be fixed with a cold wash and a bit of makeup. 

Then he gets moving toward his huge walk-in closet to get dressed, but as he steps in and gives the first scanning look to the thick rows of items, he starts getting a sudden idea that may spice up his morning even more, so he runs back to take his phone and types another message for Johnny.

[08:09] TY: you know what?

[08:09] TY: let's go shopping

[08:10] Johnny: shopping?

[08:10] Johnny: Again?

[08:10] Johnny: You are surrounded by clothes every day of the week and you don't have enough?

[08:10] TY: shopping for myself is way more exciting than fixing suits

He chuckles for himself. He knows one person that makes fitting appointments more fun than shopping, but he is kinda the reason for him to be craving new outfits. 

He is more of the dress to express leifmotive, but maybe a little bit of impress would make him good today. 

[08:11]TY: c'mon, Johnny

[08:11]TY: i have the afternoon turn today and that's like a miracle lately

[08:11 ]TY: make me happy 

[08:14] Johnny: 😪😪

[08:14] Johnny: COEX mall?

[08:14] TY: Myeongdong center

[08:16] Johnny: sweet jesus have mercy on me

[08:16] Johnny: K

[08:16] Johnny: but just because it's you, princess 

[08:16] TY: jeyxnsiwzfhs

[08:16] TY: i love u 🥰

[08:16] TY: be there in an hour and half, in the same place as ever

[08:16] Johnny: sure…

[08:16] Johnny: the things you make me do… 

***

Johnny doesn’t take a lot of time getting there. 

Almost all the time, the older friend is right on time when he has an stipulated hour to do so, but sometimes he fails. He is better than Jungwoo in that field, but certainly worse than Doyoung, that’s always righter than the clock. 

By the time the tall man reaches the bus stop where he always meets up with his friend, Taeyong is already there. 

For him, it’s not a big deal to be the one who waits for others, but the real reason behind Taeyong’s punctuality this time it’s that his ass is so unsettled that he had found himself running out of the house to catch a muffin as soon as he was dressed and ready. 

Walking down the street seemed helpful to get rid of the extra energy coming from the nerves buried deep down his guts. 

Because Ten Lee and him play the same game now. 

“Wardrobe crisis?” asks Johnny, not bothering in stopping by his side and starting their descent towards the shopping core of the neighborhood. 

He knows Taeyong can take a really long time in an outfit haunting morning, and Myeongdong is peppered with many clothing stores, so they better start it as soon as possible to end it as soon as possible too. 

“Maybe” answers Taeyong, digging in his bag to then give a couple of surgical tape rolls to his friend. 

Johnny has been working full time at a gym located near his block of apartments as a yoga teacher. The aunties love him to the moon and back, some of them way too much, considering that he could be their son, so sometimes the classes got intense enough to need those rolls of tape. 

“What triggered it this time? I told you not to buy High Cut again, it always gives you compulsive-shopping-illness” 

“Shut up, it’s not like that” complains Taeyong, hearing the playful accusation of his friend “And for your information, the magazine that makes me buy compulsively is Harper’s Bazaar. Learn something about me”

“Learn something? I know all your cracks and habits, princess. You are snappy today, what got into you?”

“Just woke up energetic”

“I see… so what’s gonna be today? What are you trying to haunt for your collection?”

“I need something new, but something like…" Taeyong tries to express himself with a vague movement of his hands, searching for the correct word in the meantime. "I need something that takes your breath away”

Johnny stops in his track at the middle of Myeongdong despite the streets already starting to be crowded by visitors and clients. 

“Pardon?” he shrieks.

The blonde has used the word _‘your’_ a bit lightly, but he means it in a collective, overall way.

“Something astonishing” explains Taeyong without paying much attention to his friend’s dramatic act, checking out one of the nearest front windows of a clothing store. “Spectacular”

“Provocative, no?” Johnny shortens quickly, pouring something serious in his voice. 

“Well, yes, we're not gonna lie”

"And you have brought _me_ because...? Do you need someone to carry the bags?" Mocks Johnny, the bitterness piercing in his tone with its sharp fangs once more, a little bit deeper this time.

"Because it's fun to hang out with you?" Replies Taeyong offended, as if his friend doesn't want to spend time with him too. "And besides, opinions are useful, you can give me some"

He smiles adorably to his friend, eyes big and sparkly, convinced that he is just being playful and friendly.

And he is.

Taeyong is that kind of person that can’t be looked at with a reprovatory stare and makes Johnny swallow his comment down instantly and smile back, nodding in agreement.

But ah, Lee Taeyong, he puts the apple in front of a hungry man and then gives it to another one.

He does it with no malice, he is in his own world, looking at the sets that stores have on display at their front, wondering what could be the thing that makes Ten stop feeling curious to start feeling right into it. 

There's a difference, right? 

Sometimes you talk to someone and they reply, keep the conversation going and all of that, but that’s just the easy-mode type of fun-leading bound. Taeyong has a purpose within himself and that’s making Ten pounce him and break the buttons of his shirt.

The full type of exploding passion, in other words.

It's a coping mechanism to bare with the wait until the model texts him again, but he is not really sorry about it. 

He goes across every exhibitor and through every bunch of hangers that manage to catch his eye, thinking what can be good enough to achieve his new and silent goal with honours. 

Velvet? He has always looked good on velvet. 

Pink velvet. That's his field. 

He picks the shirt up and goes to the cashier with a ton of ideas in his mind already to pair that piece.

However, he doesn’t stop there, and as Johnny entertains himself giving some reviews and considering the purchase of some new pieces for his own wardrobe, the blonde looks at the items that catch his attention in this and that shop, contemplating his options and picking some stuff to try on.

He checks his phone. 

Still nothing. 

He thrives with the colors and shapes on display at the front windows, perfectly put in the mannequins with god knows how many pins holding them to make the trick and present looks that are as attractive as unachievable for a functional human being. 

But Taeyong knows the tricks already.

Fashion is a world of possibilities, and certainly a playground where he can imagine countless combinations to put his personality to shine through.

As he has always done. 

He ends up buying a light blue blouse with no buttons and a heart-stopping open neck to tuck inside his light jeans. 

Checking his phone again. 

And still nothing, just an absent number beside the bubble of texts that contains his complaint towards Ten's manners.

No manners is what he has, but damn, he is the type of rude that Taeyong likes. Not really bad or mean, just busy and stupidly hot to make him lose patience with the phrase "I have to go and work now".

He is managing it half well, ignoring the fact that he is building a thirst-trap outfit haul out of nowhere. 

At least he didn’t drunk text him last night.

But he has fun with things like this, and Johnny makes the morning enjoyable, after all, as they chatter about irrelevant things like the movie they watched lately, the new rumour regarding a random friend from high a or just those things you talk about with your best friends in a typical, average day. 

When they reach Taeyong's favourite shop, his hands land on another pink velvet shirt, but since he already picked up one, he takes the same model in black. It would be a life saver resource he would use if nothing else happened to work well enough.

It's not the only thing he takes to his personal test of suitability, that's for sure. 

The pile is rather big when he takes everything into the changing booth. 

And meanwhile, Johnny is mortified inside his own body and about to blush when Taeyong pops out from the boot and asks for an opinion while wearing a loose, oversized blue and white stripes shirt that's way too unbuttoned in order to show his collarbone that, let's mention, is a gorgeous spot of Taeyong's physique. 

"What about this one?" 

Johnny coughs. "Uh?"

"Are you paying attention?"

Attention? God knows Johnny is indeed paying all the available attention in his brain. 

He nods.

"I think it's hot but not too obvious. Like effortlessly hot, right?" Keeps saying Taeyong with a wide smile of satisfaction in his face, checking himself in the mirror for a moment longer to prove to himself that he has a point. "Like hey, have you seen how hot I am? I did it unconsciously"

"Yeah, I agree on the mood… I agree"

"Yeah?"

"Sure" mutters the tallest.

"Then it's a pick! Next one"

"Lord have mercy…" 

It takes them two hours like this, several huge avenues walked down, stopping in almost every stop, and about two thousand won to make Taeyong say he has enough in his bag. 

Anyways, even if he wants to keep shopping, he has to go home and make lunch, eat and go to work, so he is going to have to stop anytime soon. 

Not for nothing he had brushed off Ten first, to now lose the job for a stupid whimp of buying stuff would be highliy reproachable. 

Especially after that. 

As for Johnny, he is genuinely happy to put an end to the parade of Taeyong's explorations through the sexier pieces of the spring season.

The yoga class of the day is going to go hard if he wants to chill.

Especially after that. 

But he ain't dumb. 

He wonders why Taeyong is so interested in his sexy side out of a sudden, if there's a solid reason or if he is just in the mood. 

Johnny can't really tell, although Taeyong seems a bit disappointed when he peeps into his phone's menu and barely sees the group notifications and a couple of texts from his mother to inform him of tasks for his working shift later on. 

But little he knows of what Taeyong is really waiting for. 

***

When he arrives at 4PM at the store, Taeyong has to check the book where they keep their schedule.

There's a lot to go through, but that's okay, it'll keep him off his phone for the whole day until 9PM or so, when he usually arrives home. 

Because it's spring, everything is packed with appointments. 

Usually people use spring months to have dates in the open, organise parties with friends, attend picnics wearing fuzzy dresses and all of that. 

But the most exasperating of the spring things for a tailor is that the weather is nicer and everyone feels like holding their weddings. It's a lot of stuff to do, fixing the brides dress, the accessories, find a veil, coordinate bridesmaids, fix their dresses, the groom, the kids... and so on.

There it is, with red circles in the schedule. A bride having her final touch-ups. 

Taeyong rolls his eyes back. 

That's the most energy consuming task of them all, because everyone is extra nervous and extra rushed, and, of course, demanding the best results. 

And it's the tailor who has to suffer that pressure in their shoulders if he wants the final check. 

It'll take almost his entire day but, well, he knows it'll pay super well and the tip will be for him only. And huge if he managed the situation well, with his nicest smile and manners, so there he goes.

It's already 10pm when he has taken his shower and eaten some dinner, collapsing on his bed after an exhausting day attending a bride and her sister. 

They were very nice women but, as Taeyong predicted, way too nervous and giddy to handle without suffering a tiny low in his sugar level. 

The phone does his small satisfying clicking sound when it's unlocked. 

There are a considerable amount of numbers surrounded by yellow bubbles in his kakaotalk app, but his eyes only see the number one next to the fire emoji. 

His breath gets caught in his throat.

[20:35] Ten🔥: how is my babyboy practicing his patience? Showing some good boy behaviour so far... good to know 😌

Taeyong takes a deep breath and checks the hour next to Ten's message.

It's been half an hour since he sent it so he is safe from replying straight away without making it look like his alleged good boy reputation is nothing true, because he likes the apelative Ten has used way too much. 

Especially because he feels a sweet intention at some part of his organism that tells him to be bad and wait for the discovery of a possible strict and nice punishment. 

[21:07] Babyboy💕: you're really doing this to me

[21:07] Babyboy💕: boasting that you are mean

[21:07] Babyboy💕: proves my point

Far to any of his expectations, the phone sounds soon after his last text is sent. 

Now he is smiling and fully recharged again. 

[21:09] Ten🔥: tbh bb I really was busy

[21:09] Ten 🔥: don't pout 

[21:09] Babyboy💕: i don't pout, i'm not a baby

[21:09] Ten 🔥: debatable

[21:09] Babyboy💕: what kept you so busy anyways?

As the bubble goes straight to the chat, Taeyong wonders if that question is too personal. 

At times it looks like two people that keep sending each other bold stuff can't be unfamiliar, but sometimes it happens the opposite way. 

The dirtier you talk, the less familiar you get. 

[21:10] Ten🔥: I have been having things to do in the late afternoon because I have to do an outdoors photoshoot with night vibes and the light has to be the same in all the pictures 

His stomach may have flipped over or something close, and he doesn't know why. 

Something about the reply from the model reminds him that he is talking to tenlee_1001 nothing less, the one in the black, high-waisted suit from the post this morning, the one that talked about style and identity in the magazines he had read and yet the one that opened the conversation calling him babyboy. 

Is it normal to feel nervous like a teenager while in your mid twenties just because of a hot boy?

Well, he is not ashamed nor sorry for what he is doing, typing while Ten is still online and holding onto him before he dissapears again for an unknown number of hours. 

[21:11] Babyboy💕: oh yeah?

[21:11] Babyboy💕: sounds cool

[21:11] Babyboy💕: and long

[21:11] Babyboy💕: r u tired?

[21:11] Ten🔥: hahahaha

Taeyong bites his lip with the train of laughter, not knowing what to feel. Nerves, attraction and curiosity are mixing inside of him like a bombshell ready to blow.

[21:11] Ten🔥: If I were tired maybe I wouldn't be texting you and thinking about putting you between my legs 

[21:12] Babyboy💕: so you don't wanna hear about my day?

[21:12] Ten 🔥: Don't tease 

[21:12] Babyboy💕: me? i don't 😇

[21:12] Babyboy💕: just asking

[21:12] Ten🔥: Do you think you can tell me about your day?

[21:12] Ten🔥: Won't your tongue be too busy?

A big bubble of lust crushes inside Taeyong and makes his hands shiver slightly while typing in the chat bar, licking his dry lips in his barely illuminated bedroom. 

[21:13] Babyboy💕: u'd be surprised of what I can do with it

[21:13]Ten🔥: I need solid evidence 

[21:13]Babyboy💕: i bet you have the solid part covered 😙

[21:14]Ten🔥: Not yet but I promise we'll get there

[21:14] Babyboy💕: not yet there? should I work a little bit harder for u?

[21:14]Ten🔥: What do you have in mind? 

[21:15] Babyboy💕: plainly hoping to get u heated up

[21:15]Ten🔥: And how are you going to do that?

[21:15] Babyboy💕: u put me in such a complicated situation 

[21:15] Babyboy💕: usually I don't rely on words to do that

[21:15] Babyboy💕: my tongue does much better 

[21:15] Babyboy💕: if you came here and sat on my face you'd see 

A part of Taeyong wants to stop for a second and let him reply, since he knows that Ten would be doing better with the sinful exchange of messages between them, as he has been proving in their short history, but he really can't stop talking. 

He is sending his composed appearance and the saved patience he held from popping out to hell, but he is doing it with a breezy hand. 

He is really going to use this card, so he gotta be really hectic. 

[21:16] Babyboy💕: u know... I am a good boy that goes to bed early and sleeps nice and sound till morning

[21:16] Babyboy💕: but you make it too hard to sleep 

[21:17] Ten🔥: too hard? 😏

[21:17] Babyboy💕: definitely too hard

[21:17] Ten🔥: love the honesty bb

Taeyong literally groans out loud as he lets himself fall back on his bed with his legs hanging from the side. 

Ten really is playing hard to get on purpose, isn't he? 

The blonde has always thought that he is on for the quick paced boys, the rushed, and he has never had problems to find those. 

For what his experience has been, all of them prefer to go full speed to take away his clothes as soon as he bats his eyes.

And with all, Ten... makes him smile to the ceiling all amused, anyways. 

The model really makes him want to engage, play and try to see what he can come up with to make it work no matter how tortuously slow Ten is planning to set the pace. 

As if he is reading his mind, his phone purrs for attention again.

[21:20] Ten🔥: Don't throw a fit 

That's what he is talking about! The way Ten guesses him, his insight, makes Taeyong jump in excitement and want to chase after him and... maybe even beg a little, but it's too soon for that. 

The model is all the fun and games someone wants to engage with. 

It's fun.

For fun. 

[21:20] Ten🔥: Or is our Taeyong having a moment? No touching~ 

Taeyong physically pouts as he types his answer and then thanks god that Ten is not watching him do so in real life to play that card for his own benefit. 

[21:21] Babyboy💕: not there yet~

[21:21] Ten 🔥: 😂😂 

[21:21] Ten 🔥: Someone is spiteful, I see

[21:21] Ten 🔥: But i'm afraid i have to say goodbye again

[21:21] Ten 🔥: Nitenite, Lee Taeyong

[21:21] Ten🔥: Sleep nice and sound like when you hadn't meet me 

[21:21] Ten🔥: And you were a good boy

He almost drops his phone on his face, but he catches it before it slips completely. 

His cheeks flush entirely this time and his brain stops on its tracks enough for him to find only white empty space when he tries to think of a reply. 

How do you say good night to your eternal platonic crush when you know he can read it and is not so platonic anymore? Do you jump with all you got or take it slow?

Taeyong doesn't want to fuck it up and lose it, but he sure does want to wish him good night properly.

He doesn't have time for all these thoughts, it's been already a couple of minutes since the model sent his message and he knows the double check is on his screen, he doesn't want to make it look like he is really throwing a tantrum.

Mix both. Sweet but not too personal. Something like that.

[21:24] Babyboy💕: you too, have pretty dreams 💞

He almost yells at the heart emoji. 

No no no no no. 

[21:24] Ten🔥: maybe I will... 

[21:24] Ten🔥: after talking to you, maybe I will dream about pretty things

_Oh._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah! buckle up for the wild, semi-virtual ride of Lee Taeyong and his model crush.  
> I hope this chapter wasn't confusing, I promise this has a plot and everything is necessary for the things thay happen later with Taeyong and this dysfunctional group of friends.  
> See you next Saturday and I hope you enjoyed this!!
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	3. Morning thrills.

To describe how Taeyong wakes up the morning after showing Ten his growing eagerness towards him is easy, can be even said in one simple, basic word of the dictionary. 

Hard.

When he went to bed last night hoping that Ten would dream with him and not take him out of his mind, he didn’t consider the backlash on himself, whose unresolved desire is pooling on his navel bringing him damp dreams.

He groans as he comes out of his slumber, almost tied on the sheets that surround him in the bed, feeling too bothered about the feeling between his thighs. 

Is not like he doesn't guess what it is already, but he is kind of drowsy yet, so he pulls the sheet up a little to look down.

Yep, definitely Ten it's to blame for very personal injuries now. The model better pay him back well because the delay of tension and building up his lust has taken him here.

He licks his lips, knowing he has no choice. 

Almost hesitant his hand goes down until his fingers rub over the tight material of his pants, letting out an unconscious, faint breath.

He shut his eyes tight, suddenly remembering the words in Ten's text.

 _No touching~_

He seethes under his breath, hand clenching around the elastic band of his pants.

Ten wasn't being serious, right? He can do it… right? 

And _what if_ … he actually _can’t_? 

Then what if he can't and he does it anyway? 

The more he thinks about it and messes with the thought of what Ten would or wouldn’t do, or what he would allow or not, the worse the ache under the taut fabric becomes and the hotter he feels under the cotton t-shirt he is wearing to bed. 

He rolls onto his side and hugs the nearest pillow he has crossed on the bed, burying his face there in confusion. Yet, he bumps against the greatest solution he could think of, his hips following his movement and brushing against the mushy texture of the pillow making him flinch. 

He can't help but to move his hips against it a little harder, and then harder, giggling his hips to let the unatended hardness feel some attention. 

Okay, he is losing it. 

There's no way he gets up relieved if he ignores the obvious fact that this 'problem' is not going to settle down by its own. 

He takes his phone from the night table. There's a plethora of notifications there, as in every morning.

[08:01] Snoopy: someone wanna grab some breakfast at Starbucks?

[08:05] Doie: I had breakfast hours ago Jungwoo

[08:08] Johnny: I'm in

[08:08] Johnny: Princess?

[08:10] TY: BUSSY

[08:10] Johnny: ??

That's the fastest typing he has made in his whole life to open the second higher chat window in kakaotalk.

[07:36] Ten🔥: goodmorning bb 

[07:36] Ten🔥: how are you feeling today?

Taeyong can only rise his eyebrows and smirk while looking at the screen, nails suffering from the tug of his nervous biting again. But a good nervous, under a smile because Ten has greeted him first.

Maybe he also had a reason to take Taeyong's words to heart this morning. 

This is going to be ominous.

[08:10] Babyboy💕: Ten 

[08:10] Babyboy💕: i've got a question 

[08:10] Ten🔥: shoot it 

He's too hot to not risk it.

He kicks the blankets out of the way, sending them to bunch messily at the feet of the bed until his vision of his own body is clear.

The white t-shirt is naturally riding up on his torso after the unconscious rolls in his sleep, revealing a plain of the smooth skin at his stomach. His leg is thrown over the pillow with his plush thigh bare, front almost glued to the mushy surface, back arched on purpose, with just a space to reveal the quite obvious main protagonist of this issue confined on the strawberry pattern cotton shorts.

He sets the camera mood on, chooses a nice filter and…

Send. 

[08:12] Babyboy💕: am i still under the no touching policy?

[08:12] Ten🔥: Are you asking me for permission? 

[08:12] Babyboy💕: that's exactly what i'm doing 

Taeyong bites his lip holding another sound that wants to go out when his fingers trace the shape of his bulge up and down, playing with the tip. It throbs in impatience as the typing sign shows besides Ten's name. 

[08:12] Ten🔥: fine

[08:12] Ten🔥: you wanna do it like this? 😏

[08:12] Babyboy💕: yes~ 

[08:12] Ten🔥: then the answer is no 

Taeyong closes his eyes slowly, trying not to let a desperate whimper out when he reads the answer shining on the screen. 

With the trajectory of Ten and his teasing, he has been kind of expecting that reply, but he had some high hopes settled on a yes and now he is trying to deal with denial. 

But surprisingly, the fact of having to stop just a second after getting started because Ten said so, turns him on so much. 

He can't really tell why but his hand trembles as he withdraws it from his crotch obediently, regardless of the difficulty of that task.

He tries to inhale, but even his breath shakes with the restrain, hands gripping the phone with force as he writes the next sentence to send. 

[08:14] Babyboy💕: but baby~ it's unbearable 

[08:14] Babyboy💕: hurts 

[08:14] Babyboy💕: don't be bad to me 🥺

[08:15] Ten🔥: I said no touching

[08:15] Ten🔥: But

[08:15] Ten🔥: Nothing about the pretty pillow you have with you :)

Almost without noticing, Taeyong closes his legs tighter around the pillow, grinding down and forgetting that he had been trying to be quiet for a solid second to mewl. 

He snaps his head up and bites his lips down. For goodness' sake, his mother is probably out there in the kitchen. 

He slides down and grinds his body against it, faintly at first, as if he is embarrassed of himself, but the moment has him sensitive enough for him to rely on the bliss. 

[08:15] Ten🔥: I bet you already know what I mean, don’t you? 

[08:16] Babyboy💕: I do~ 

[08:16] Ten🔥: You’ve already started aren’t you?

[08:16] Ten🔥: Texting me while you do these things…

He swallows down his dry throat, his mind only filled with Ten and how much of an involvement he has in this filthy act of self-love, lust building up on him and taking the sparkles down to his crotch. The only idea of the model guiding him through this makes him burn like a candle. 

He forces his hips down again, needines growing while he grinds, moving back and forth against the pillow feeling his hardness rub on it through his shorts. It makes his lips part quietly, his face quite burying on the pillow, and his back arching, dragging the move as roughly as he can. 

He begins feeling his pants getting damp, moaning as he slides one hand up his t-shirt, moving his fingers over one of his perked-up nipples as his respiration becomes laboured. He takes a sharp breath in, pinching the but between his fingers as his hips meet the pillow, rocking them faster and circling them in a very deliberate motion that floods his whole body with irresistible lust.

He can't do this, it’s really exasperating. 

He reaches out for the unlocking button of his phone, panting and non-stopping the grinding that’s been becoming more and more erratic.

[08:20] Babyboy💕: but this is going to take me much longer

[08:20] Babyboy💕: spare me

[08:20] Babyboy💕: i need to get to work

[08:20] Ten🔥: then do it faster 

[08:20] Babyboy💕: can I take off my underwear? 

[08:20] Ten🔥: You sure ‘bout that? 

[08:20] Ten🔥: Don't want me to take it off for you when we meet better?

"Please" he says out loud just out of himself. 

He doesn't know if he can type it. 

He could lie to him, thought. He could just throw his shorts across the room, use his hand and never tell Ten. He wouldn't know, there’s no possible way that the model could find the crooking of his ‘exemplary’ behaviour, but... just the feeling of following after him makes the ache of his leaking cock burn double. 

When he thinks about Ten's terms and conditions of using him, his cheeks flush with excitement and his dick twitches, threatening with an imminent high.

Shit. 

Okay, faster it is. 

His hands glue to the phone, his thighs are getting sore as he clenches his legs around the pillow and his hips go frantically on repeat against the cushion, eyes tightly shut as his dick rubs against the material.

It’s too rough against the pajama pants, in spite of the fact he has been dripping and wet with the result of a building up, but Taeyong has never minded a little bit of pain mixed in the equation. 

He shifts a little, swallowing up a noise when his swollen tip meets the seam of his pants, contributing to the sensation. 

[08:23] Babyboy💕: yes

[08:23] Babyboy💕: want u to take all the clothes off me 

[08:23] Babyboy💕: just u

[08:23] Babyboy💕: and fuck me for real 

He is writing his messages in the heat of the moment but it’s outstanding how he is already giving up on everything Ten says, even when the younger is not there to touch a single inch of his body. However, his words seem enough to get him going. 

He can’t stop imagining things about him, wondering if Ten is as worked up as Taeyong wherever he is right now, getting hard on account of his messages and the fact that he is fucking his pillow according to his command only. 

[08:24] Ten🔥: then hurry up

[08:24] Ten🔥: tell me what it feels like

[08:24] Ten🔥: would you?

[08:24] Ten🔥: tell me if this makes you feel nice

[08:25] Ten🔥: or have you given up listening to me already?

[08:25] Ten🔥: you are not cheating right bb?😏

[08:26] Babyboy💕: no im not

[08:26] Babyboy💕: it feels great 

[08:26] Babyboy💕: shit 

[08:26] Ten🔥: what a good boy 

He reads and draws another groan, muffled against the pillow, swearing under his breath. 

If that makes him so crazy when he reads it, what’s he going to do if Ten tells him to his face? 

[08:27] Babyboy💕: can't wait to show you in person

[08:27] Ten🔥: believe me when I say 

[08:27] Ten🔥: same

[08:27] Ten🔥: but we are on a rush

[08:27] Ten🔥: so come for me first

[08:27] Ten🔥: don’t want you to let you out of that bed unsatisfied 😌

Taeyong is losing himself in his own pleasure and can't do anything but to prompt himself up with his hands- one still holding his phone- flat on the mattress to properly ride the pillow and rub his erection straight on it until it swells and his breath is so messed up in the pace that he chokes with it. 

It feels too good against the foamy mass, and just better when he thinks why is he doing that. 

He can only anticipate how good it can get if Ten touches him for real, meaning it and sending his nerves into a frenzy. 

There it is, braided with his vivid imagination of Ten doing countless things to him and that can come his way if the tailor plays his hand well, he gives up to it with a whimper, body tensed up all over, as he jerks his hips a few times more, and the shockwave moves his body and wet his annoying pants with a suppressed cry out against the foamy pillow and the sheets. 

After his body stiffens and then relaxes, he lets himself fall back onto the bed facedown, feeling soaked like in a rain day and coming down from the high. 

He sighs, satisfied but not quite there. 

Doing it this way is nothing but a temporary fix, and he knows that, but his body is scorching hot and his head spinning while he tries to press the right button that unlocks his phone, still with Ten's chat open. 

[08:33] Babyboy💕: i hate u 

He rolls onto his back, pulling his damp shorts down carefully and hissing as the cold air makes contact with the bare skin. It gives him a breathless sensation as if his thighs were steaming the wetness out of the hot skin of his lower stomach.

He opens the camera mood again, and although it’s something bolder than he is used to doing via text message he snaps a picture. He can’t resist it, Ten pretty much deserves it after his attitude. 

He should admit that the image comes out pretty nasty, but it’s yet beautiful. He hopes Ten finds it as enticing as he thinks it is when he sends it with the proper caption, reading “i hate you this much 💦”. 

[08:34] Ten🔥: oh baby... we got some problems

They sure have them, and Taeyong doesn't know how much is going to be the price to fix them. He doesn't want to think about it straight away after an orgasm, because god knows he can't take another of those at such an early hour.

He doesn’t even have time for it. 

As for his friend's chat room, it's bustling with text after text, rushing across the screen faster as the minutes have gone by without his reply. 

[08:10] Snoopy: the heck can be more important than my coffee!?

[08:12] Johnny: you okay TY?

[08:17] Johnny:... 

[08:17] Johnny: earth to TY

[08:20] Doie: bitch he’s dead 

[08:21] Snoopy: imma die of hunger 😩 

[08:21] Snoopy: Johnny, let's go out imma die, my stomach is growling so loud that the neighbors called the police 

[08:21] Doie: how can you be so exaggerated?

[08:21] Snoopy: your job is making cakes, you live surrounded by cakes, you could grab one right now and eat it but i cannot eat a classmate

[08:21] Doie: i can’t eat these cakes, this are for sale

[08:21]Snoopy: JOHN SUH

[08:21] Johnny: let's wait for Taeyong? 

[08:22]Snoopy: okay, see u at MY FUNERAL 

[08:22] Snoopy: I am seeing my epitaph already

[08:22] Snoopy: "young and beautiful till he was denied a coffee"

[08:23] Doie: Yong, show up before Jungwoo composes a Lana del Rey song 

[08:24] Johnny: what's up, TY? Should we go there and help? Is something wrong?

[08:24] Doie: maybe another fight with his shoe selection, you know how bad it went the last time he had a dilemma 

[08:29]Snoopy: I AM STARVIIIIIIING 

[08:34] TY: god

[08:34] TY: sorry

[08:34] Snoopy: the fuck is wrong with you?

[08:34] Snoopy: you know what? Idc

[08:34] Snoopy: breakfast or not?

[08:34] TY: definitely breakfast

[08:34] TY: i’m starved 

[08:35] Snoopy: you better be at the Starbucks door in 15min or i'm leaving without you

[08:35] Snoopy: and Johnny

[08:35] Snoopy: if you dare to pamper the princess if he arrives late

[08:35] Snoopy: im leaving you too

[08:37] Doie: he said _that_ , he is fucking hungry for real 🔪

[08:37] Johnny: ok I'm going out now

[08:37] Johnny: see u there in 15min

[08:37] Johnny: you gonna be there right princess?

[08:38] TY: stop worrying i'll be there 😇

[08:38] Snoopy: angel? My ass

Taeyong kind of chuckles. Maybe he doesn't deserve to be called angelic after what he has been up to. 

He still has loose ends in that chat tho, and he doesn't feel like he can leave them hanging before going out. Notwithstanding his ethical principles, he'll just throw some jeans, a shirt and some accessories on and call it a day. 

[08:38] Babyboy💕: what problem do we have? 

[08:38] Babyboy💕: i thought i was being a good boy

[08:39] Ten🔥: The problem is I'm going to be horny all day

[08:39] Babyboy💕: i said I could work hard for it 

[08:39] Babyboy💕: you deserve it

[08:39] Babyboy💕: meanie 

[08:39] Ten🔥: I wouldn't be acting cocky if I were you baby

[08:40] Ten🔥: For what it seems

[08:40] Ten🔥: You are going to be under my care, after all 

Taeyong gets goosebumps all over him. 

Yes he is. 

He is going to be under, on top or wherever Ten requested him to be for his pleasure. 

That's the truth, a sweet and succulent truth. 

[08:40] Ten 🔥: But I have to work, just like you, so I'll stop bothering you now 

[08:40] Ten🔥: Have a nice day bb 😘

[08:40] Babyboy💕: you too 💞

***

He arrives at the nearest Starbucks to his apartment, what happens to be close to Jungwoo's apartment and… more or less, close to Doyoung and Johnny's apartment. That's why going there together had become an usual thing for them whenever someone craved a good and overpriced cup of coffee. 

Jungwoo is already waiting at the door with some puppy eyes that denote his need to consume something, just anything that he could call breakfast, before he faints. 

When the younger one notices he is approaching, he gives him a spiteful look, though Taeyong knows it's all bluff and jokes. 

"I'm sorry I made you wait, Jungwoo" he says with his loveliest 'forgive-me-please' expression and voice. 

His big eyes could make flowers bloom on pavement, that's a fact. 

Jungwoo sighs looking away.

"Don't bother" the low note of his voice has more to do with being dejected than angry. "The stupid Johnny Suh is late, anyways"

"He is late a lot of times" offers Taeyong as a relief, and Jungwoo seems to take the excuse this time, as he chuckles and smiles at him faintly. 

"I'm so hungry" he says, shifting the topic again. 

Johnny, however, arrives in a second, jogging down the street.

Jungwoo is about to open his mouth to let the trail of complaints flow from him, clearly mad, but the tallest hugs him and smooches his cheek before he can say anything, leaving him quiet for a solid minute. 

"I'm sorry, Woo, I'm sorry 3000, let's grab that breakfast" 

Taeyong rolls his eyes, ignoring he knows a thing, and follows them in to occupy a table. 

Jungwoo and Taeyong sit comfortably while Johnny deals with the trouble of remembering all of their orders and bringing them to the table in return for being late. 

That’s just another habit of the group of friends, as a punishment for the annoyance of making others wait. 

At least Johnny is lucky today and Doyoung is at work already, because otherwise the list would have had extra things like 'soy milk', 'less sugar', 'caramel syrup' and all those things the man liked to add to his order even thought Taeyong has started to think that he did it for the pleasure of making their lives harder.

In fact, Jungwoo seems to join in a bit to that today, asking for a vanilla bean crème frappuccino with two exact pumps of white mocha syrup. 

When Johnny comes back with a tray full of stuff, Jungwoo seems to have relaxed his features and proceeds to laugh under his breath about the way Johnny almost gets to knock a cup over and repeat the process all over again. 

"I'll be glad if you don't throw a whole milkshake on my pants, I start my turn in an hour and it's bridal season" comments Taeyong. 

"The time of the year when all the lovebirds pay you a lot of money to make them look pretty?" Asks Jungwoo funny, humor lighting up as he finally sips from his drink avidly, scrolling through his phone with the other hand. He has always been a multitasking king. 

"Is that why you are so weird lately?" Asks Johnny.

Oh. So it does show that Taeyong is… going through something new. 

"Weird?" 

"Dunno. The shopping impulse, how giddy you were the other night, the mysterious business this morning…"

"What happened to you tho?" Asks Jungwoo as he keeps checking his feed "You disappeared in the worst moment, I almost die of starvation" 

"I was just very sleepy and fell asleep right after waking up" he lies, resting importance to it. "Workdays have been tiring lately, my mom has a big deal with a company between her hands, and bridesmaids are the worst when they fight for colors, for flowers, for basically anything… it’s wreaking havoc in the store, summarizing" 

Jungwoo buys the story straight away, it's nothing crazy to believe. In fact, what Taeyong tells is actually true but it just… omits some parts of it. Those bits of the story when he is a needy, nasty boy that sends compromising nudes as morning wishes and asks to be fucked at 8am. Just because it's not something he wants to discuss during breakfast, nor so soon. 

But Johnny knows him too well for his current liking and doesn’t go through the loop as easy. 

“You sure about that? Just say if you need help" suggests the tallest with that almost unnoticeable frown. 

"I am fine, don't baby me" he says laughing. Johnny does laugh as well, because he loves to pester Taeyong and get on his nerves until he fusses and whines, but he really doesn’t completely fall for his excuses. "How was your yoga class yesterday? Many injured middle aged women?" 

"No one fell from the balls, that's a miracle" he jokes. "Still a mess, anyways. Mrs. Yuh've got eyes on me, I swear to God"

"The curse of being hot as hell" seethes Jungwoo, but Johnny waves it off as a funny, friendly remark. 

"She is like forty six!"

“She needs glasses?”

“I don’t think so” 

“Then she can see you are hot”

“Jungwoo! She could be like… my aunt or something. Almost my mother”

"Hey, TY" cuts Jungwoo, not into having a battle with his older friend about his look and the effect he has on people. "Ten looks quite amazing in his new post"

Taeyong didn't see that one coming. 

Maybe just because he is not aware of how much he has happened to talk about him to his friends before, to the point that they followed him on his instagram too and sometimes commented on the publications. 

"Has he… posted? When?"

Both Johnny and Jungwoo turn to look at him dramatically. Johnny's gaze even escapes to the device lying flat beside Taeyong, screen turned off as it faces the ceiling. 

"Fifteen minutes ago" replies Jungwoo, baffled "You haven't seen it?"

"Nope, I must have missed it" he says, picking up his phone to go in search of the referred picture, not just because he wants to keep it secret for the moment, that's kind of secondary when he really feels the need to see what it is making Jungwoo ask for his opinion. 

He fills up with curiosity, what can he do about it. 

"Missed it?" Scoffs Johnny "Don't you have a special tone for when he posts?"

That's a blatant exaggeration, he only had his notifications on. It beeped with the iphone default tone, like all the others. 

"Not anymore" he says a bit too naturally while he types his username on the search bar and his profile shows up in the first positions of his personal searches. 

He is not looking, but Johnny's chair chirps against the floor when he moves so abruptly on it.

"Not anymore? Okay, Jungwoo, call a doctor, Taeyong is definitely sick and we haven't noticed it until now. He is on the edge of leaving us for a better place" 

“For real”

"I'm not sick, I just-" 

He stops wherever he is about to say next as he taps the profile and opens the post. 

There's Ten in a mirror selfie with his cats, not wearing makeup, face half hidden behind the rectangle of his phone with a funny bi-color scribble on the case. He is wearing some unique, pale beige pants that look like pajamas or comfi clothes, matching with the fluffy cover of what looks like his bed, all disheveled and still aesthetically pleasing enough to be in a high quality picture of a model’s instagram. He is sitting there, calm, leaning to the side with his hand supporting him. His hair is dyed black and has blonde highlights, messy as if he had come out of bed looking gorgeous like that. 

And oh, he is not wearing a top, he is just shirtless without any trace of shame for it. 

A snapshot like that would make it enough for Taeyong any day, but today, it has even more to it. 

His eyes slip to the caption, not so usual to see in Ten's Instagram, since he has been posting a lot of stuff with no words attached. 

But this one… 

[ **Tenlee_1001** : I like morning surprises. They lift up my mood and make my day way more interesting😽] 

"Nah, he is still the same dork as he was yesterday" clarifies Jungwoo looking at Taeyong losing his sanity to a bunch of pixels. 

"Taeyong.exe has stopped working. Please, press exit or contact your service"

Well, Taeyong could agree with Jungwoo. 

He is the same dork as the day before. But what Jungwoo doesn't know is that that dork is a bit more into trouble than the dork he is referring to. Because yesterday he was playing hard to get with Ten and today, the morning surprise that made him post was nothing but him dry humping a pillow.

He feels a stroke of shyness when he recalls it but it has nothing to do with regret. It’s something like... a gush of happiness, just to know that Ten liked his little adventure enough to give a hint of it in his personal, public account. 

"What did he even post? He has been quiet for a solid minute" asks Johnny as if Taeyong is not in front of him. 

Jungwoo shows his screen with the picture to Johnny, and the latter rolls his eyes, with understatement.

All the understatement that Taeyong can accept from him, since his friend is missing the small, teeny-tiny detail where the very same Taeyong has orgasm while telling Ten he should do him for real. 

Without tapping the like button, he locks the phone and puts it away, back to its place on the table. 

He takes an energetic bite from his donut and fixes his hair. 

_‘Act normal, Taeyong.’_

"He is so sexy I might get a seizure" 

Not a lie, anyways. 

"There he is, back to us!" claims Jungwoo. "And look, he has come with his best friend. Is Thirst. Hello, Thirst, nice to see you" 

The three of them laugh. After all, Taeyong is not having one single bad feeling from this experience. Maybe some nerves, perhaps a bit of shyness here and there, but knowing that Ten is into it? He can't ask for something better.

He doesn't know... what this model can do. 

Not yet.

***

By lunchtime, Taeyong has become tired of pretending he is a patient boy that waits obediently for the next command. 

He feels distracted today, his mind returning again and again to the caption in the post that Ten has made, to the point of pricking his fingertips so many times with his pins that he is scared that he is going to stain the white material of all the brides that keep coming up with his blood. 

He wants to flip the pages of the book of appointments to next Wednesday, when Ten is supposed to come back. Or at least just to somewhere that needs something a bit more stimulating than fixing the skirts of the same bridesmaid dress again and again. 

He is seated under the counter, hiding as he eats a nice pasta salad with pesto from a lunchbox. It's honestly delicious, Doyoung had given it to him when he passed by in front of the tailoring store knowing quite well that sometimes Taeyong forgot how to be an adult and take care of himself without a little bit of help when there is a lot of work to be done. 

He wipes out his phone and checks what he has missed. 

The screen is still stuck on Ten's morning post, which makes him lose a beat, but then he can't help but laugh. 

[ **Kim_UWU** has left a comment on **Tenlee_1001** 's post: damn who doesn't want to be his morning surprise?🤤" 

He likes the picture and closes the window. 

[14:37] Babyboy💕: how is ur day going 

[14:37] Babyboy💕: I didn't trouble u too bad right? 😇

The day goes by. 

Taeyong dices a couple more of the army of bridesmaids that this specific woman has. He is doing extra hours but he tells himself to help his mother in her business and that extra payment for once won't hurt him.

Taeyong is not the most wealthy person out there, but his economy is quite good for a person his age. He is a young boy, and even though he will like to upgrade his workplace in the future, taking part in his mother's atelier paid nicely and was a fancy job. He had been lucky with that. 

This bride that's their client had appointed all her wedding tailoring works to them due to his mother recommending it and, besides the annoyance of working in a rush as in like for any other wedding, she is amicable, and so they are her bridesmaids. 

Her youngest niece, though, it's way too amicable with Taeyong. 

Thankfully, this woman is getting married in two days so this is the last time he sees them getting all nervous and jumpy. 

She thanks Taeyong about a million times for his patience and care, and the tailor wishes her a nice marriage and luck in her ceremony. 

"Do you have a business card?" Asks the bride. 

Taeyong nods with a smile as he moves to the counter where she is depositing an unimaginable amount of bills on behalf of the seven females gathered in the hall. 

"There it goes. You can call in for appointments and we'll try to fix the timing the best possible. There's also an email address"

"What about the tailor's personal number?"

Taeyong raises up his eyebrows, quickly understanding where this question is coming from. 

He gives a glance towards the youngest girl present, whose age must be close to his with a margin of error of two or three years. Her eyes are too bright and her face is too pink to mistake it for something else.

He returns his attention to his client and smiles politely. 

"You are pretty, ma'am, but it's hard to ignore that you are engaged" 

About everyone that's around the counter burst into laughter with Taeyong's original way to wiggle out of an uncomfortable situation. 

At least they understood he is politely waving away the tries of

any of them to get in his pants. Well, it's nothing personal, Taeyong is just gay, those things cannot be helped. 

Maybe he should stop wearing tight fits for work, he has been on a streak, but that’s all. 

It's at 6PM that he gets to his now empty home. 

His mother is, of course, still in the atelier that he has left, so he plops on the couch and kicks off his shoes and pops his belt open to put himself comfortable. 

For sure, he is going to have to get a shower later on, but he is too lazy now for it. 

He switches the TV on and gives up to a silly -yet catching- program about reforming houses, eyes closing involuntarily to the background sound of the narrator with an easy and comfortable mood.

He is not sure of how long he has been spacing out and napping when the vibration of his phone against his inner thigh wakes him up a bit violently, for his phone had slipped from wherever it was to the middle of his legs. 

He feels a bit grumpy about it. 

Usually at this time no one texts. Johnny must be in the most crowded of his yoga classes at this hour, Doyoung sure be caught in the traffic feeling like a mad man, and Jungwoo... well, he is an incredible little man, so he could be bugging them from the table while some kid of his class set an engine on fire. 

Taeyong unlocks the phone and, in fact, he does have a text from Jungwoo that goes "yongie, can I ask you something?". 

But that's not the one that catches his attention the most or that woke him up. It was the fresh text up in his pop up notifications.

[20:47] Ten🔥: You sure make it a challenge but it's not like I'm going to complain 

[20:47] Ten🔥: What are you doing bb?

Taeyong sighs. 

What does he do first? Does he reply to his guilty pleasure or to a friend that apparently needs him? 

Sometimes he hates his decency.

[20:47] TY: what's wrong, darling?

[20:47] Snoopy: I need advice

[20:47] TY: yeah, of course

[20:47] TY: clothes? food? 

[20:47] Snoopy: love

[20:47] TY: oh... 

Taeyong licks his lips fearing the turn that this is probably going to take, but he plays dumb because he knows Jungwoo likes him and Doyoung to act like no one knows, even thought it has always been, and would be, obvious. 

[20:48]TY: how comes? 😏

[20:48] Snoopy: there's a friend that wants me to go to his party 

[20:48] Snoopy: and I know if I go alone everyone is going to ask me when im bringing someone

[20:48] Snoopy: and i don't wanna drop the bomb with them again 

[20:48] TY: darling, that sucks

[20:49] TY: nothing wrong with being alone

[20:49] TY: you can do well by yourself

[20:49] Snoopy: I don't want the sappy comfort, Yong

[20:49] Snoopy: I'm so tired of being single

[20:49] Snoopy: I want a... gush of passion in my life! 

[20:50] Snoopy: you know what I mean

[20:50] Snoopy: a bit of 👅🔥 right here right now 

[20:52] TY: and what's my part here?

[20:52] TY: download tinder 

[20:52] Snoopy: c'mon bitch 🥺

[20:52] Snoopy: you know what i'm saying

[20:53] TY: not really

Blatant lie. He just pretends he doesn’t know.

[20:54] Snoopy: you are so good with men, they all fucking want you

[20:54] Snoopy: ALL

[20:54] TY: don't exaggerate it 

[20:54] Snoopy: let's put it straight

[20:55] Snoopy: HOW DO I ASK JOHNNY OUT AND MAKE HIM SAY YES!!!??

Taeyong chokes in his own spit. 

He is not surprised because of the confession itself, but of the fact that Jungwoo has finally let it go in such a direct way, through an all capital letters texts. 

It catches him with the guards down. 

Another notification moves the top bar of his screen.

[20:56] Ten🔥: busy? or just vengeful? 😏

For the love of a mother, he doesn’t deserve this.

Taeyong sighs once more. 

He imagines where Jungwoo may be coming from asking specially him about that.

[20:56] TY: I don't have a magic formula

[20:56] TY: but you know Johnny is not an asshole 

[20:56] TY: just play it cool and take it to your yard

[20:57] Snoopy: NOW WE ARE TALKING REAL

[20:57] TY: 😂😂😂

[20:57] Snoopy: so what do I do

[20:58] TY: invite him to go

[20:58] TY: as if it's just a friend making you a favor to not go alone 

[20:58] TY: go out, have fun, get wasted 

[20:58] TY: idk 

[20:58] Snoopy: you think it can work?

[20:58] TY: I don't know, tease him a little 

Another sound from the chat pushed at the back of the tabs.

[20:58]Ten🔥: you are not really playing, right bb?

He purses his lips. Ten is trying to rile him up, but he doesn’t know if it’s on purpose.

It’s working, nonetheless. 

[20:59] Snoopy: how

[20:59] TY: BE CREATIVE! IDK!

Types in Taeyong biting his finger as the fire emoji keeps showing up in the middle of this mess. 

[20:59] TY: be coy, lick your lips in front of him idk drop some hints 

[20:59] Snoopy: lend me an outfit

[20:59] TY: okay, that's more of my zone

[21:00] Snoopy: I am going over there in an hour

[21:00] Snoopy: find me something that makes him hard 💕

[21:00] TY: fuck, jungwoo

[21:00] Snoopy: im trying

***

Jungwoo doesn't really take an entire hour to ring the doorbell like a maniac. He bursts into Taeyong's house with the force of a motherfucking hurricane and makes Taeyong flinch scared with the sound of the door slamming behind him.

"Jungwoo!" He says wrapping the shower towel around his waist tighter.

The younger man doesn't seem to care that his friend had been interrupted in the middle of showering and getting changed, his hand wrap around his bicep and the screen of Jungwoo's phone is shoved way too close to his face.

"Look, look!!" 

Taeyong pushes the bunch of hormones that's Jungwoo a little bit further, trying to read the texts in the chat that's open without becoming blind. 

[20:57] uwu: Johnny, I need to ask you something

[20:57] uwu: A colleague is throwing a birthday party in his house this Thursday and I'm invited but I don't wanna go alone. I wonder if you could come with me? 🥺🥺

[20:57] uwu: please say yes you are the funniest I know, I can't take Doie, he would bore them to death...

[20:57] Baby Suh: 😂😂😂

[20:59] Baby Suh: Dons really be boring sometimes

[20:59] Baby Suh: why not Taeyong tho if u have a reason to not take Doyoung why not him

[20:59] uwu: he gets tipsy just by smelling alcohol 

"Thank you" Taeyong says, amused as he keeps reading the exchange between his friends. 

Honestly, it makes him have fun, it feels like Christmas, getting the privilege of reading the sauce of their group from the first hand. 

[20:59] uwu: and you are a social butterfly anyways 

[20:59] Baby Suh: okay sure

[20:59] Baby Suh: should I bring something or??

[21:00]uwu: just bring your yummy ass 🥰

[21:00] Baby Suh: I always take that when i go out 😌

[21:00] uwu: i know damn right

[21:01] uwu: and wear something nice u know

[21:01] uwu: but take it easy

[21:03] Baby Suh: gotchu

"Darling that's great, I told you he would say yes. He is like a big ass angel" claims Taeyong. "Let me get dressed and I'll take you to my closet" 

Taeyong gets in the bathroom and picks up his casual clothes to stop this madness. Taeyong is not demure but he prefers keeping the goods only for the privilege eyes of someone. 

Oh... Ten.

He is making him wait, he just happen to remember about that little detail. 

He bites his lips nervous. The phone is outside, at the kitchen counter.

He closes his eyes and tries to focus on the moment, or just in something that isn't the fact that it's looking like he is teasing Ten and playing hard to get. Sweet jesus, it doesn't sound like something he can achieve.

Not saying "YES" right away to the model ... AIN'T RIGHT.

"Do you have any other tip I can use with Johnny? You have been best friends like... forever" asks Jungwoo from behind the door and Taeyonf rolls his eyes knowing that the texts waiting to be answered are going to have to wait even more, but heaven knows that inside him there's this feeling that itches and tells him to run to his phone and answer all of those texts like the best boy in the universe and an insane amount of angel and heart emojis.

"What he likes... about what?" He asks Jungwoo, emerging from the steamy bathroom and leading the way to his bedroom and then, towards his walk in closet. 

Yes, Taeyong has a full lenght walk in closet, that's how he fits all his stuff and manages to be able to keep buying stuff. It's the handicap of having a fashion related job and puppy eyes to conquer even her mother's feeling. 

All this facts together, besides Taeyong being an spoiled son, is what makes all his friends turn to him when they really, truly want advice with clothing. 

"Well, you know" says Jungwoo sitting on one of Taeyong's shelves for shoes, gearing up for the long session of Taeyong turning into a salesman for his favorite pieces. "What makes it for him? What does he find attractive?"

Taeyong chuckles, getting a hold of the first hanger to show a black blazer with matching pants.

Jungwoo dismisses it in a gesture, probably because it's too formal, to which Taeyong agrees. 

"He likes people that can take the piss out of him" 

"Really?"

"Yeah" says Taeyong taking out another hanger, this time with a black semi-transparent sheer top. 

Jungwoo scrunched his nose.

"It's made to wear with a jacket" 

"Nope" says Jungwoo dismissing the piece, and the tailor shrugs and hangs the shirt again. 

"Boss him around. Not all the time, but drag him to something" 

Another hanger, this time with a far too revealing top of white lace.

"That looks good when you wear it, but it doesn't suit me. And it's too much like you"

"Fair opinion" agrees Taeyong, putting it back and going through all the clothes like an expert. Which he actually is. 

"What else?"

"He likes your lips" comments Taeyong, lightly. 

"Excuse me!?" Almost yells Jungwoo, making the older startled again. 

He turns at the youngest and sees the expression of sheer disbelief mixed up with happiness. 

"Since when? Why? Why do you know that? Did he say that? What did he say?"

Taeyong bursts into laughter and then shrugs when he is more calm and his entire body is not shaking with the guffaws.

"It was a drunken confession of his, once, when I had to pick him up when he went off with too many suju glasses. He said they look edible. So I don't know, put some lip tint on"

As je speaks, Taeyong’s mind lights up and he remembers his shopping rampage the other day with Johnny, running to one of his drawers under the xueious look of the younger. 

"Actually, Jungwoo, I know what you MUST wear to put him in line!"

"You do?" Says Jungwoo jumping just behind him "Now this is what I wanted, TY"

"Something that makes him hard, you said?" He says, taking out the blue and white oversized shirt he bought some days ago. The price tag is still on, and let's say too, almost makes Jungwoo gasp with the digit of won that could be read on it. "Wear this. Minimum two buttons down, loose on the shoulders and with at least one necklace. Makes him droll" 

"How are you so sure?"

"I just know" replies the older, shoving the piece onto his hands "Pair it with jeans and maybe boots, it's all"

Jungwoo sneers. 

If it works, he is getting the goddamn crown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	4. On how to be a heartbreaker

When Jungwoo leaves his house with a paper bag full of clothing pieces and a set of Taeyong's silver jewellery, the tailor lets himself fall onto the bed and he finally, almost eager, opens the chat with the model's name on top. 

He looks at his last message, sent almost two hours ago, reading the question while his nails are being chewed as it is becoming the tradition.

[20:58]Ten🔥: you are not really playing, right bb?

After being with Jungwoo, he feels pumped up. Matching clothes, and especially if it's for flirty reasons such as Jungwoo's case, always puts him in a good and confident mood with his own power of charm, which makes him feel extra playful. 

He smirks for himself and types slowly, almost hesitant of what to do or say after putting Ten aside for so long, but he sends it anyway, wondering if the aftermath will rile the model up.

[23:10] Babyboy💕: what if i was playing 

Almost immediately, his phone vibrates again, not leaving him time for switching back to another conversation to check out other possible messages. 

Taeyong smirk his widest smirk, knowing that Ten should be steaming either from hot frustration or from eagerness. 

The ball is in his side of the court. 

[23:10]Ten🔥: what kinda move is that

[23:10]Babyboy💕: you didn't answer 😘

[23:10] Babyboy💕: what IF i was playing

[23:11] Ten🔥: is it fair that I tell you the punishment before you decide if you are gonna tell me? 

[23:11 ]Babyboy💕: so that's it uh?

[23:11] Babyboy💕: u will punish me if i was playing

[23:12] Babyboy💕: why is there a difference from this morning

[23:12] Babyboy💕: you let me play this morning

[23:12] Babyboy💕: wasn't I good?

[23:12] Babyboy💕: you made me suffer anyways 🥺

[23:13] Ten🔥: suffer?

[23:13] Ten🔥: from what I was able to see, you had hella fun

[23:13] Ten🔥: 💦

[23:13] Babyboy💕: that's true, i loved that part 

[23:13] Babyboy💕: but doing it solo is nog as fun

[23:13] Ten🔥: so are you going to tell me what were you up to? 😏

There are only two possible options here for Taeyong, and those are the truth and the adorned truth. 

Sure, he is not the one to drop the lies right away, but he knows for sure that this conversation needs more than a narration of the meek, friendly fitting session with Jungwoo in the closet to get to the point he wants Ten to be in. 

[23:13] Babyboy💕: well, u know...

[23:14] Babyboy💕: just having a steamy, hot and deserved shower 

[23:14] Babyboy💕: i love the feeling of water dripping down my body

[23:14] Babyboy💕: feels too good

[23:14] Babyboy💕: almost made me think about breaking your policy and have some fun with myself well i was soaked 

[23:15] Babyboy💕: but my friend called me to come over so i could help him choose an outfit because he wants to get some d 

[23:15] Babyboy💕: so since he got me interrupted i had to leave it for another day

[23:15] Babyboy💕: and give up to him

[23:15] Babyboy💕: bcs a friend is a friend

[23:15] Babyboy💕: is that enough of an explanation for you, mister lee?

[23:15] Ten🔥: yes, thank you, very graphic and detailed 

[23:15] Ten🔥: i'll treasure that info 

[23:15] Babyboy💕: oh, and mister lee

[23:15] Ten🔥: yeah?

[23:15] Babyboy💕: don't forget the no touching policy

[23:15] Ten🔥: haha... baby... 

[23:15] Ten🔥: you are quite cocky sometimes

[23:16] Ten🔥: is that bad that you loathe the no touching policy?

[23:16] Babyboy💕: well i prefer being touched you know 

[23:16] Babyboy💕: instead of being all worked up by myself thinking about you 

[23:16] Ten🔥: So? You want to do it so much that you wanna go without me first?

Taeyong feels the cracking of his nail between his teeth. 

He knows it's a tricky question, most likely to be a trap from the model to get him going, but he doesn't know to what point he wants it to go out of it unscathed.

[23:16] Babyboy💕: who tells you that I haven't started? 

[23:16] Ten🔥: okay then 

[23:16] Ten🔥: let's do this well baby

[23:16] Ten🔥: because if you are going to get off its better if it's because of me 

How in Hell has he turned the situation around? 

Taeyong doesn't have the time to understand it, nor to get ready for the next move, because before he can even blink Ten has attached a picture to the chat. 

He has seen pictures of Ten in many possible ways before, he is a model after all, but like the one that's on the screen, never. 

Never from him.

Obviously. 

He is not even completely naked, just in his underwear and an open white shirt, sitting on the carpeted floor of what Taeyong can assume it’s his room, and fitting on the frame of his mirror; but Heavens know it’s enough for Taeyong to feel like drooling. 

His skin is made of such beautiful and appetising tone, like a glaze of gold, while his dark eyes resemble the ones from a feral feline ready to pounce him in any moment. 

He has a delicate figure too, with broad shoulders and a thin waist and his bare thighs are a vision worthy to be witnessed, tense and thick. 

[23:17] Ten🔥: Welcome to the unreleased photoshoots

[23:17] Babyboy💕: why are you so beautiful?? 

Is not very collected of Taeyong to write that, and maybe he derails from the sexual mood to feel a teeny tiny bit whipped, but he means it from the heart. 

He adds some emojis then, to palliate the moment of impact. 

[23:17] Babyboy💕: shit 💦💦

[23:18] Ten🔥: so soon? 

Taeyong is sure that that one is a joke, but he keeps it on.

[23:18] Babyboy💕: no, but that pic sure makes me horny af 

Well, not a lie. 

It's surprising that he finds the way so easily with Ten when he is not even touching him, but it's true that the pulse inside his pajamas has gone a bit harder. 

God, is he gonna do this again? For the second time in the same day and sneaking onto his silly pajama pants like a teenager going through puberty?

Maybe.

When he lowers his free hand and pokes it with his finger it make him feel keen enough. 

How embarrassing. 

[23:18] Ten🔥: Taeyong… you make me wanna do bad things

Okay, that definetely rises the pressure down there. The morning round has been just enough satisfying to make him go through the day, and the leftover needynes is not making any good to help the semi that’s now inside his pants. 

He is already closing his hand around it, caressing it trying to do it lightly, hesitating...

[23:19] Babyboy💕: which things, mister lee?

[23:19] Ten🔥: I want to undress you piece by piece and pin you in my bed

[23:19] Ten🔥: but since you like playing 🙃

[23:19] Ten🔥: I just want you to touch it slowly until it's wet and hard and it aches to even brush it

[23:19] Ten🔥: since you like to play hard to get 

[23:19] Ten🔥: maybe you get the effect of doing it to yourself

[23:20] Babyboy💕: oh please...

[23:20] Ten🔥: saying please already? I'm just starting 

For a reason that Taeyong doesn't know well, he is listening. As he barely moves his hand up and down, the wetness begins to appear, his thumb spreading the beads down to make it moist and smooth 

It's almost an unconscious act. Doing as Ten says feels... natural, comfortable....and hot as hell. 

His underwear is getting in his damn way, so he finally pulls it off and tosses it to the floor without regrets, enjoying the fresh and burning pleasure of his heated up skin being kissed by the cold air like he couldn’t experience in the morning. 

In for a penny in for a pound, they say. 

He lets out the air from his nose. 

[23:22] Ten🔥: Hard enough?

[23:22] Babyboy💕: fuck yes

[23:22] Babyboy💕: i would like you to touch it... 

[23:22] Ten🔥: You sure? Didn't you want to do it by yourself? 

[23:22] Ten🔥: I could go and leave it for you, right?

[23:22] Babyboy💕: Ten… 

[23:22] Ten🔥: 😊😊😊

[23:23] Ten🔥: Good night baby

Not again. 

No. 

[23:23] Babyboy💕: wait

[23:23] Ten🔥: Oh baby I didn't trouble you too bad right? 😇

[23:24] Babyboy💕: se...riously?

[23:24] Babyboy💕: bb it’s super hard u can't leave me now

[23:24] Ten🔥: Busy~

[23:24] Babyboy💕: at 11pm?

[23:24] Ten🔥: Or maybe just playing

Taeyong chuckles in his room. He is frustrated but he is… amused? 

He is amused.

Well, that’s new. 

Being asked to wait for treats has never seated too well with Taeyong, but he guesses the unique charm of Ten kicks in hard enough to make his previous conditions shift from where they used to be. 

Still, he is going to need practice playing this game to learn how to handle it correctly and give an equally hard time to Ten, because honestly, he still feels like he is already challenging himself with the mere act of abandoning that hard ass dick to its own luck.

To Ten’s pace, better say. 

Shit.

At least the morning after that, he wakes up serene in that sense.

He doesn't dare to text first to the model again when he takes his phone and there’s no new messages from him. 

He can’t take another lap. 

There’s only a new story on instagram from Ten, with a clock that marks 7am. That's, in his opinion, too early for the caption to be “busy day today”. 

Maybe he was being honest last night with going to sleep early or something. There's still many things that Taeyong doesn’t know about Ten to guess what the situation really is. 

Jungwoo has also posted a story in the special group for best friends, wearing a facemask with the caption “beauty routine”. 

Taeyong opens the kakao talk chat for Jungwoo as he rolls his eyes and laughs.

[08:12] TY: dude, it’s only 8am and you are already working for the d?

[08:12] Snoopy: beauty must be hard so the dick is too

[08:13] TY: you are effing thirsty

[08:13] Snoopy: look who's talking

[08:13] TY: if you knew…

[08:13] Snoopy:👀

[08:13] Snoopy: something between your hands?

[08:14] TY: i wish

Taeyong laughs again. 

Literally he wishes to have certain something between his hands until it bursts, but he is not telling Jungwoo yet, and he prefers not to admit it, either, since everything is so uncertain among him and the model. 

Like, what even is going on? What are they up to and how did they start being so blatant about wanting to bang each other?

However, he has no time to spare talking with his friend about their absurd sexual drive in recent times, he has less than an hour to get ready and go to work. 

When he goes out of the bedroom not even his mother is having breakfast in the kitchen anymore, a sign of how packed the day must be in the store, so he better be hurrying up to complete his tasks. 

If it’s another bride he is going to blow his brain with a gun, but there’s clearly a thing that can cheer him up, just in case. 

His closet. 

Taeyong has spent too much time in the closet, so of course he has a special love for it and its content. He loves it, and he loves that he is able to make money from his passion and that he can express his personality and thoughts through his clothing, cheering himself up with a pretty style. 

He grabs his new pink velvet shirt in which he felt so extremely confident when he looked at himself in the store's mirror. 

Feeling the pump of energy when he puts it on, he goes to the mirror and styles his hair, pushing it back, and he even applies a little bit of shimmer in his lids.

Before putting his pants on, in front of the mirror, he thinks about taking a mirror selfie and sending it to Ten with a saucy caption. 

Even with his own eyes he can admit that he looks delicious with the shirt just covering enough skin to touch the middle of his thighs. He knows that guys usually like him to look like that, innocent, spicy and ready to ruin. 

But he needs just a tiny…. A tiny bit of patience to not burn down in front of Ten and his games, because everytime they talk he feels like a living flame.

He holds the first impulse down and puts his pants on, not even tucking the shirt in and putting a same color stripe around his neck to add detail. 

Ten better text him or he would be missing all of that. 

And it’s worthy of being admired. 

His loss.

Yes…. yes…. his loss.

Or maybe not.

***

“Lee Taeyong” he hears, causing him to snap his head up to the sound of a sweet voice that he can’t forget, nor mistake even in a crowd of thousands. 

There he is, coming his way from the front door with all that overconfidence that bottles up in a 172cm body, all compact and wrapped on pretty clothes like a christmas package. 

In fact, he looks perfect despite the simplicity of his outfit, consisting in a short sleeve black t-shirt tucked in dark ripped jeans. It’s looking at the bare skin of his forearms that reminds Taeyong that he has tattoos on his skin that a lot of photoshoots work hard to cover sometimes. 

He doesn't understand why, he looks even sexier like this. Maybe that's why he chokes the next word out. 

"Ten?"

The model leans on the counter and smiles at him with a coy smirk. 

“Nice to see you again, baby”

Taeyong clicks and scrolls in the bar of the computer's database to check the name on the square next to the timestamp that comes next in his work day.

“Is our appointment today?” he says, not believing himself. 

The chills are crawling on his body and he is chewing his fingers again without noticing.

How in this world could he miss the fact that Ten Lee in person had an appointment with him? Is not like he hasn’t been all day thinking about him, about how frenzied he has him since he played him last night, and about when he would text him again so he can speak to him without sending messages first like a weak boy that runs behind him desperately. 

The model cocks an eyebrow, amused. 

“C’mon, you text me, send me questionable pics and all but you can’t face me? Lee Taeyong, are you all mouth?”

“Shh, don’t say that out loud, my mother is-”

“Taeyongie!” calls his mother from the back of the store, and the nickname makes the model smile in a way that makes Taeyong as embarrassed as he could be. “Ten Lee’s personal assistant called this morning to move his appointment to 12am today”

“Mark, he is a sweetheart” adds Ten while Taeyong is frozen behind the counter and his mother keeps going in the back of the shop. 

“I have to redesign a high executive’s whole cocktail dress, please fix his…” Taeyong’s mom comes out from behind the curtains of the backstore and sees the gentle smile of the model giving her a polite nod. “Ah! You are here, Mister Lee”

Taeyong feels like he wants the Earth to swallow him whole when his mother uses that appelative to call him. 

The way he has started using that name is just...not for his mother to say, not for her to know what he uses it for. If she knew how his son begs to the model she wouldn’t be giving him such a maternal glance. 

“I hope you don’t mind my son to take care of you again”

“Oh no, I don't mind at all" he almost chuckles. 

It’s funnier as he looks at Taeyong’s mortified face, but the latter can’t hate it, for the model's lips curl in a way… that’s almost sweet.

Mrs. Lee shoves the cashmere prototype of a shirt in Taeyong’s hands. 

“Fix this for him, okay? Baste it. And this ruffles should be hanging, at the back”

She really must be busy, because she leaves fast to give service to a high-class looking woman that has entered the store and is leading her to a fitting room, abandoning his son in front of a feline eyed boy that stares at him like he is about to lap on a little mockingbird. 

But of course, he doesn’t. 

His smile, though, feels like an offence for the tailor, whose heart skips a beat. 

He can't say he is not pleased with having to spend time with Ten in person, especially when his pink velvet outfit doesn't go to waste. 

Ten scans him from his head downwards and then up again just as Taeyong had wanted him to do it in his daydream this morning. 

"You look cute in pink"

The comment sure makes his ego grow a little and his emotions get looser. 

"Thanks, it's my favorite color"

"Really? How cute is that?"

"You tell me, it’s not humble if I say it myself"

"Alright” giggles Ten, knowingly of the technique Taeyong is pulling on him. “Very cute, Lee Taeyong. Very cute"

Taeyong chuckles, far more pleased than what he wants to show. 

"Okay, follow me, we are going to adjust the original outfit to your measurements"

It's the same situation from when they first met all over again. 

The fitting room it’s a humble space, light colored and simple, with a big, rectangular mirror and a stand in front of it for customers to stand while their clothes are being fixed, a table, a screen to change clothes and a lot of shelves decorating the walls to store fabrics, buttons, threads and so much more.

And in between all of that, just both of them.

Tension could be cut with a knife if he wanted, even more than the first time, knowing the things that had been said and done through texts now. 

Ten doesn't really take a lot of time in the changing zone behind the screen to put on the shirt that Taeyong has given to him, replacing his comfy tee for a more complicated cashmere piece meant to wear with another type of pants and shoes, so Taeyong tries to quickly get ready for the second round of shaking hands and shuttering in front of Ten. 

His face must be an open book for the model. 

"I don't bite, I promise" says Ten with a light hearted laugh while Taeyong takes out some pins and steps on the podium with him to check the seams. "Not too hard. Unless you are into that" 

"T-talk to me" requests the older one, making Ten pull an eyebrow up with disbelief.

"I'm doing it" 

His expression, by the way, turns into a sweet smile promptly, when the tailor barely adds "Calm me down" in a whisper.

He is standing in front of Ten, close as he carefully pins the material over his shoulders to adjust the stripe correctly, creating a neat line for the seams with pins. And he has to add that the shirt is too revealing to keep it up together. It’s sleeveless and the V-neck opens low, so there are too many spots of bare skin to not look at it. 

"As you wish" says the model, voice shockingly softer now. "Sorry for that, you are getting me used to your naughty side, so I got carried away"

Ten's eyes check him out again while he is not looking, going down and then up to his face. 

Tayong is fair, and his face has sharp edges that balance perfectly to make a sculptural face, but there’s something in his eyes that doesn’t erase a soft edge to him. He is what someone could simply describe as ‘naturally handsome’, the kind of trait that you are only lucky to be born with. 

The corners of the model's lips lift faintly with the subtle change of Taeyong's expression when he slides his hands up to his hips and rests them there, laced behind the small of his back, casually. 

He said 'calm me down', not 'set my nerves on edge', but apparently Ten doesn't calculate so well how his manners affect Taeyong.

"Do you like doing this job?" Ten asks, finally initiating a normal conversation. 

It’s, at least, something that reminds him that Ten is a human being with his quirks, habits and overtones instead of being the scorching object of admiration that he only sees in the screen of his phone when he types his instagram username in the bar.

The tailor nods, letting a breath out. 

"Yes, a lot"

"I thought so, because you really look committed when you are in the zone"

"I am. I'm proud of my career choice. It was hard at times but it was worth it"

"It shows, I think you are pretty good at it"

"You'd have to see the results before saying that, no?"

"So far the experience is pleasant" Taeyong chuckles, but Ten elaborates before he can crack a dirty-minded joke. "You are professional, kind and keep me comfortable. Plus, your touch is pretty light" 

"Yeah?" He asks, passing from one shoulder to the other in order to repeat the same process and make the sleeves even. 

For a moment, his face is too close to his, and his eyes catch the shine on his own, surprisingly tender and warm. 

He wonders if he is talking to the same Ten that came through the door like a mischievous little thing. 

"Yeah. The professional part is a bit of a downside for me, but it's understandable" he jokes, making Taeyong giggle and start forgetting the stiffness of his back and fingers while he pins some more fabric skillfully. "You studied dressmaking or it’s the family business heritage?"

"I studied it at college. Dressmaking and design"

"Really?" Asks Ten brightly. 

He sounds genuinely interested, which is like an utopian scenario for Taeyong that makes it difficult for him to process. 

Impostor syndrome is a bitch.

“Yeah, I graduated a couple of years ago, here in Seoul's University. Then I started working with my mother right away because I didn't want to slack around”

"That's amazing. Do you still design clothes?"

"It's my favorite thing to do with my work" beams Taeyong, still with a bit of hesitation. "But commission like that are hard to come by. I still need to build myself some diffusion and reputation to get requests enough to live as only a designer" 

"I know right. Fashion world… is a mess, and hard to climb on it with all the competition going around. It's all about trying to shine a bit brighter in front of the press. But you should show me one of your designs some day"

"Would you like me to?"

"Of course. You could make me something to wear one of this days" 

Taeyong blinks. 

He hasn't heard those words now. 

It goes over his head.

"For you?"

"Sorry, I got excited” backs up Ten, watching Taeyong take a halt in his task to lock eyes with him. “I didn't mean that you do it for free, I know it's your job and-"

"I'd love to dress you" he responds without hesitation. 

In fact, it might be the least hesitated thing that he has said to Ten ever since he first met him in that same exact spot. It has been a daydream of his for too long to just have the chance in his career to grasp an opportunity so exciting like designing something for Ten to wear. It would be inspiring, new and fresh! It's challenging even. 

“Just when I thought you were focused in the opposite” 

Taeyong laughs lightly, but his heart really beats to the fullest of the speeds, and once he has opened the lid to that, things spill fast before he can close it down again, rolling off his tongue like a liquid.

"No, I mean it. I really like your style, it's currently the best of the best out there" 

"The best of the best? Wow, Taeyong, isn't that a bit too much to say about me?" mutters Ten. And it doesn't seem to be out of faked modesty, he truly sounds like he believes what he is saying. "There are way bigger and more famous models in South Korea that could serve you better than me. Plenty"

"I'm not talking about the fame, I'm talking about the style. I-"

Taeyong hesitates for a second. 

The lid is closed again, he is still hyper-aware of who he is talking to, and now that he is done with pinning the left shoulder in place, he has no excuse to divert his eyes from his face. 

Ten is looking straight into his eyes. There's something inside his dark orbs that makes Taeyong calm in his mind and terribly unstable in his body, the mix too strong for his system to function normally. 

"You…?" 

"I have read your interviews" he finally spits out, seeing the ring of light that reflects into Ten's pupils turn into a question mark. "Some. That's why you make me nervous, I told you. I like the way you think, and your taste, I guess it’s because I think they match mine"

"I'm just the model, I don't have the singing voice in all the concepts I do"

"And your touch still shines through. I know that's hard to do, but you do it anyway, so that’s why I said I like you in particular. I mean it like that. Working with you would be great"

Once Taeyong has spilled his secret in front of the one that can be called his muse and motivation, he feels like he should have shut up. 

He is face to face with the model, his arms are still on Taeyong's hips, and his eye contact is hard to stand. 

Suddenly, Ten is so quiet that Taeyong has time to think the one hundred and one things that could go wrong from there, starting from the model abandoning all of their casual wicked game because of Taeyong's big mouth dragging them to an awkward situation; to his mother losing the entire commission from the agency because of his fault. 

After all, who likes an obsessive fanatic of your work to be involved with you personally? He looks like a stalker now, for sure.

The model either reads the panic on his face and pities him, or just takes the comment light in the solitary second during which Taeyong is questioning his entire decency. 

The corner of his lips tug up forming a mild smirk, and his tongue clicks playfully. 

"Lee Taeyong, Lee Taeyong..." he sings just before leaning in closer to him. 

Taeyong can smell a fruity scent rising up between them just before Ten presses his lips on his, disarmimg him completely for a moment of bewilderment. 

It’s just a short moment, flickering and even a bit awkward, but it sparks a little something inside Taeyong and his eyes widen so much that they could pass as dinner plates. However, he doesn't lean away until Ten pulls back like nothing has ever happened and the faint stain of lip tint that is crossing and smudging over his mouth is a mirage of the older. 

That’s the strangest kiss he has ever shared with someone. The most unexpected one, at the very least. 

"I-"

"You said no sex in here. It wasn't sex"

"Did you just-?"

"Yep"

"Why?"

"Because I don't know how to take a compliment from you, I think it's obvious"

"You compliment me all the time" argues Taeyong with a playful smile that he can’t keep for himself.

"So what? I give compliments, don't get them"

"You don't get compliments being a model? Seems far-fetched"

"Maybe?" Chuckles Ten, as funny as Taeyong. “I suck at expressing my thoughts or feelings, I don’t channel them too well” 

“I don’t see it like that”

“Wear glasses”

The information is sinking in Taeyong slowly as the conversation goes on. 

For God's sake, Ten has planted a peachy flavored lip stain of balm on him, and he can sense it on his tongue and over his lips. 

Maybe it's not the best way to say thank you for a compliment but Taeyong can't really complain, it's already been a bit breathtaking for him to be kissed like that out of the blunt.

It sure thrilled him.

He can’t be blamed, the model caught him with his guards down. 

He continues sewing his buttons in the right place, even though a part of him wants to undo them, instead. 

“You should be kissing many people on the daily, then”

"Not really, you are more enticing than the staff that works with me and praises me to encourage me and keep me working, you know?"

"It's a give and take"

"Really?" Scoffs Ten. "How come?" 

"Your emojis make me horny, it's only fair this way"

"Big words for the place we are at, don't you think, Lee Taeyong?" 

"No one is hearing, though, my honesty won't hurt you"

"But I can't do anything, it's a bit cruel on me"

"If taking a couple of compliments is cruel, the things that you do to me are evil"

"Which things?" Teases the younger one.

Taeyong makes an effort to not let the needle he is using to sew the second button onto its place prick either his finger or Ten's chest when the model's modulate his voice to make it sound much more tactile, but he knows Ten has probably felt his momentary tremble. 

He wonders how the younger can ask him that question while his arms are still wrapped around his hips like it’s nothing. 

"You talk to me without filters…"

The hold of Ten’s arms around him tighten a bit, moving Taeyong closer so their fronts are glued together. 

"You do it too"

"...and then you pull out the no touching rule. I feel like a teenager trying to make up sneaky ways to have fun with myself" 

"Oh because of the pillow showdown? It wasn't out of cruelty" he says. Taeyong can swear even with his eyes being focused on the buttons, that he can sense the sneer in Ten's face through his tone. "Wasn't that morning a double blade? Think about it"

"How was it a double blade? I was the one putting up with the burn"

"At least you got to fuck a pillow, by the other hand, I was all alone at home, getting ready for work and thinking of the perfectly hot spectacle that shit should be without watching a bit of it" 

"Should I film it next time?" Says Taeyong way too bold to then get embarrassed of himself for saying that at his mother's atelier and to a client. 

He needs to tone it down but goddammit, he didn't know that Ten would show up today and set all his repressed hormonal impulses boiling up for days in fire. 

"You into that? You seem so formal in here… but then you shoot up when no one is watching" 

"Shut up, you are so mean"

"But you wanna kiss me soooooo bad"

That's not a fair claim, of course Taeyong wants to. He just can't do it, knowing that it would probably lead him to skipping the rule that he had settled himself over the stablishment and make him unable to stop. 

Ten sure has kissed dozens of people using that line, if Taeyong is sure about something is that he must be just another number on his list, but he is too high on attraction to care.

He is opening his mouth to answer something that is probably far from being witty when someone else calls for his attention, voice as familiar as the one of a brother. 

"Knoc, knock! Princess!! Are you home? Got you a muffin!!" 

Ten looks at the tailor, cocking an eyebrow. 

" _ Princess _ ?"

Taeyong stands up straight, taken by surprise. He secures the needle on his wristband before looking at Ten with an awkward smile. 

"Ah... yeah, wait for me here" 

Ten seems distrustful, and he is going to answer something sly in return, but Taeyong is already stumbling out of the fitting room and going into the main room of the store, behind the counter.

"Johnny! What are you doing here? Like, seriously"

"Oh wow, good morning to you too? I messaged you to ask if you have eaten and all of that but you weren't replying so I assumed you didn't. I thought about bringing a snack for you, you always forget to eat when there's a lot of work" 

"I am... busy"

"Don't swear it, you look like you are high on caffeine" 

"Kinda" 

He says, not wanting to specify that he is high in Ten's peach flavour. 

"Want the muffin or nah?" Asks Johnny. 

Of course, Taeyong takes the paper bag with the meal and smiles when he sees the content accompained by a cup with a smoothie. 

"Thank you, you giant fluff ball, but you didn't have to come here all the way"

"Actually I had" says Johnny, leaning on the counter. "It's on the way to the gym and I wanted to ask you about something"

"I’m kinda in a rush, so tell me quickly, what is it?'

"What's all of that with Jungwoo and his friend's party? He invited me out of a sudden and I don't know what to do or say to a bunch of engineers, I don't even know what to wear or... anything, you are the chic one I need..." 

Johnny makes a pause, and Taeyong, all in into the confession of his friend that is finally taking some real interest in the correct way to successful pairing, leans further onto the counter.

"You need what?" 

"Lee Taeyong" sings the particular voice of his model. 

He turns on his heels quite mortified, thinking about what Johnny must be thinking and not really knowing the answer. 

Ten looks at his phone's clock theatrically and leans on the doors frame with an almost imperceptible pout of mischief. 

He has the cashmere shirt on his hand but thankfully he has had the decency of not walking across his store shirtless, putting his own shirt on, as well as the coat that he previously carried folded in his arm. 

"Sorry to cut you up, but I have a tight schedule today so sadly, veeeery sadly, I have to say goodbye here. The fit is perfect already, say thanks to the tailor" 

"I will" he says all flirty without being able to shut that one down. “I’m sure he will love to hear that from you”

"Sweet jesus" murmurs Johnny under his breath.

Taeyong hears it and wonders if Ten could hear it too, but the model’s smile curls up in a way that makes him think he has. 

Besides... he remembers that Ten has his lip tint straight on his mouth and why as soon as he stares at his small lips. 

He grabs the shirt carefully. 

"I hope I didn't bump into your boyfriend,  _ princess _ " 

Oh... so that is the effect of burning hot kind of shyness that one is supposed to feel when being called that pet name. 

Interesting how the thing changed in different voices.

He shakes his head, possibly too red to even play a smart move on him. 

"I'm single" 

"Sweet. I don't really like the idea of bombing up a solid couple and all of that"

"Johnny is just a friend"

"Sure. I trust you, I was just asking. So, anyways, you'll know about me soon"

"I'm looking forward to that"

"Me too" says Ten, voice thick with heat but shaking Taeyong's hand all business like whilst the older one hates him a bit for the perfect actor play he has going on. 

He was the one who asked for discretion, but a part of him is dying for the model to throw all out the window soon enough.

The more time he spends talking to him, the less he cares about breaking the rule and being pushed on the counter. 

Nonetheless, Ten leaves the store undefeated. 

And, of course, Johnny is eyeing him with an indecipherable look on his face when he turns back at him. 

"Oh... they say quiet ones are the worst ones...."

"What do you even mean by that?" Ask Taeyong, turning back to Johnny at the counter, almost offended with his friend's comment. 

_ Almost. _

"Are you serious? Are we going to act like your major crush didn't pass in front of us right now?" Says Johnny, eyes becoming slits that shoot directly through the smallest one. "That's why you deactivated his notifications? You don't want him to discover your filthy secret?"

"Johnny, I am not going to discuss this with you right now, he is my client, and while he is in this facilities he has to be served like so" 

"Prrrff, c'mon, that's bullshit" dismisses Johnny, rolling his eyes and giving Taeyong another look of disbelief. "You have never been able to keep it cool about him, I think that has been made more than clear seconds ago" 

"Just tell me what you wanted to know about Jungwoo's party" 

"So we are going to play pretend? Alright, you are going to hide this from your best friend" 

"Johnny!"

"Taeyong! Let’s go, tell me that it wasn't your lipstick that he had on his lips" says Johnny almighty "You don't even paint your lips when you- Is this why you asked me to go shopping!? You are trying to seduce him!"

"Shhh!! Don't talk that loud, it would be a scandal"

"So I am right!" 

Taeyong bites his nail hesitant. 

When he looks at Johnny, the boy is expectant.

"Okay, fine, listen.... he hired the tailoring store to fix an outfit for him so we met last week. I told myself to be professional but...we kind of match, so we have been texting each other"

"Texting?" Ask Johnny, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, texting" 

"And you kissed him?"

"No, I told you I want to be professional in this job"

" _ He _ kissed  _ you _ ?"

"..."

"Oh, yeah he did, of course, you are irresistible to half the men of this town" murmurs Johnny under his breath while Taeyong just chews the fingernail of his pinky. "Fine by me, I don't even want to know what he sends to you while you ‘text’ each other" 

"Johnny..." 

"Chill, I won't tell anyone" he says dry, shifting to another topic. "Let's talk about something that the princess pleases" 

“Johnny, look, I don't want you to get mad"

"I'm not mad!"

"This is not about me not trusting you, it’s about the whole thing being too recent. I don't even know our terms”

“No, you don’t need to explain anything to me, do what you want. Jungwoo's party. Chic or sexy?"

“But-”

“Really, what do I wear, just that”

"A bit of both..." says Taeyong, hesitant to let go their previous topic. "Sexy but don’t go overboard with it, they are a class of engineers"

"That's all"

"Johnny"

"It’s all, I don’t have anything else to say, don’t want to be meddlesome, am I right?"

And with that, Johnny picks up his bag and leaves, turning Taeyong into a baffled statue.

Literally what the fuck is going on in his life, currently. 

***

Now, the truth is that Taeyong feels bad about the way he decided to tell his friend about Ten, but in his defense... it was Johnny who showed up without warning and then went into a precipitated assumption of his business with the model.

Taeyong would have liked to do it in a proper way when he was ready, the circumstances just didn't let him. 

He had texted Johnny later on, when he arrived home in the evening, saying that he was sorry to not tell him before and that he should understand that it was a shocking thing for Taeyong to not only meet his platonic crush but also to engage with him.

However, by the time Taeyong went to bed, Johnny hadn't opened the chat - probably on purpose- and, in consequence, didn't reply to him.

Notwithstanding that, Taeyong overlooked the specific range of feelings that his friend may have for him.  His personal belief is that Johnny is only going through a gush of jealousy, and hopes that it will go away as fast as it came one day, about three years ago.  Maybe it's too optimistic of a thought with the duration of the crush, but he doesn't think that Johnny's feelings for him are too deep. They can't be. It just feels like the tallest has had the hots for him for a long time now, and he has been knowing, but Taeyong had always doubted that Johnny sees himself marrying Taeyong or anything like that. 

Not for the long run. 

However, when the next day comes and Taeyong goes through the early morning check of his phone's notifications, the double checks are next to Johnny's name, and not only that.

[20:32] Princess TY: hey johnny, i'm sorry that i didn’t tell you about Ten and all of that, it’s just that we are in a complex situation with each other and we are just starting to know the other, so i want to take things easy and slowly bcs i honestly want a little taste

[20:32] Princess TY: i feel like we had some rough moment earlier and i don't wanna be on bad terms with you ever 🥺️🥺️🥺️

[20:32] Princess TY: okay? 

[01:27] Johnny: k

[01:27] Johnny: 1 hell w/ it princess

[01:27] Johnny: dnst even matter

Taeyong can smell the alcohol in those texts even through the screen. 

And so he can in Jungwoo's chat. 

[02:06] Snoopy: Lee Taeyong

[02:07] Snoopy: u damn fashion genius 

[02:07] Snoopy: 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕i love u💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

And then, on the group chat.

[08:00] Doie: Jungwoo, did you call me last night? 

[08:00] Doie: it made me concerned this morning, i have like 2 missed calls from you

[08:57] Snoopy: did I? 

[08:57] Snoopy: Dunno 

[08:57] Snoopy: Things are a bit blurry in my mind

[09:00] Doie: I can tell why you don't know 🙃

Taeyong's eyes become wider as he scrolls down.

Doyoung has attached a screenshot from Jungwoo's instagram stories where he can see the blurry picture of a perfectly beautiful Jungwoo with his mascara half smudged over his face and a pretty open collar shirt that hurts Taeyong's heart when he sees the patch of stain of whatever drink he spilled on it. And by the youngest, there’s Johnny, holding Jungwoo’s face with an expression of total amusement and his tongue sticking out over his cheek.

[9:02] TY: 🙈

[09:02] TY: the party was good I see 

[09:02] TY: anything we should know, guys?

[09:05] Johnny: I don't remember half a damn tbh

[09:05] Doie: an example of conduct 

[09:05] Snoopy: shut up, doyoung

Taeyong chuckles, about to go to open the Instagram app to see the wonders he is missing from the accounts of his two friends, finally getting in the tight rails towards one another. 

Nonetheless, when he is in the menu, a new notification pops out. 

He wonders if he has been waiting in the chat for Taeyong to be online, but it feels like it and that makes his heart rush. 

[09:08] Ten🔥: rise and shine Lee Taeyong~

[09:08] Ten🔥: your pretty lipstick stain costed me a bit of a scolding from the staff yesterday 💕

[09:09] Ten🔥: but it's not so bad to be bad from time to time 

[09:10] Ten🔥: I think you know well

[09:11] Ten🔥: Go to work motivated 

[09:11] Ten🔥: Princess 😘

[09:12] Babyboy💕: it costed me a scolding too 

[09:12] Babyboy💕: just so u know

[09:12] Ten🔥: did your mother find out? 😳

[09:13] Babyboy💕: no 

[09:13] Babyboy💕: but my friend... 

[09:13] Ten🔥: ah.... the tall prince that babies you 

[09:13] Ten🔥: he really had something to say uh? 

[09:14] Ten🔥: Lee Taeyong, I didn't have you for the type of baby that keeps the baits on the hook 

[09:14] Ten🔥: I thought you were good 

[09:15] Ten🔥: maybe you are more of a demon than you show 😌

[09:15] Babyboy💕: 😇😇😇

[09:15] Ten🔥: you wish bb

[09:15] Ten🔥: an angel? who believes that

[09:15] Ten🔥: with the things you do

[09:16] Babyboy💕: really?

[09:16] Babyboy💕: I could do worse

[09:16] Babyboy💕:👅👅👅

[09:17] Ten🔥: That's what I'm saying 

[09:17] Ten🔥: Don't make me horny in the morning I have a long day ahead of me

[09:17] Babyboy💕: are u begging me?

[09:17] Ten🔥: ... 

[09:17] Ten🔥: No way

[09:18] Babyboy 💕: sounds like it to me 

[09:17] Ten🔥: Don't make me go to the atelier at lunch break, it's a rule to not eat what I got for you there, am I right?

[09:17] Babyboy💕: lunch break is not work time

[09:19] Ten🔥: Are you sure you want to play that game?

[09:19] Babyboy💕: i don't joke about eating u up 

[09:19] Ten🔥: Very good then

[09:19] Ten🔥: Tell me the time

[09:20] Babyboy💕: I got 30 minutes starting at 14:30

[09:20] Ten🔥: 30min is a tea with cookies

[09:20] Ten🔥: and under an hour it's just appetizers

[09:20] Ten🔥: but I'll take it

[09:20] Babyboy💕: u don't do quickies uh?

[09:20] Ten🔥: not with you

[09:20] Ten🔥: so hard to come across

[09:16] Babyboy💕: and harder once you do 😌

[09:20] Ten🔥: I need a proper ride 

[09:21] Ten🔥: Preach bb

[09:21] Babyboy💕: u look sure of what u want

[09:21] Ten🔥: I do 

[09:21] Ten🔥: I have a list stuck on my fridge 

[09:21] Ten🔥: "Things to do to Lee Taeyong"

[09:21] Ten🔥: Color coded by priority because I love organization

[09:22] Babyboy💕: what's the top one? 

[09:22] Ten🔥: Something I don't do either is spoilers 

[09:22] Ten🔥: But we can't do my top 1 in 30 minutes I tell you 

For the love of god, Taeyong is already sweating.

He is going to spend the day on his toes, and he knows it so well. 

Not his first time with Ten in that matter. 

He curses Jungwoo in his mind for taking his mouth-watering white and blue shirt, because he would have loved to wear it for Ten if he is about to take him, but it is not as if he is short of clothes.

He needs to choose something that covers him enough to do his job on it, of course, but a sweater with an open v collar and nothing underneath is innocently filthy. 

He should reply something that gives the model a hard time too, it's enough of suffering alone. 

[09:24] Babyboy💕: it's me jumping on your lap on the list? 

[09:24] Ten🔥: It could be 

Oh, come on, Ten is so collected. He hates him. Only good for teasing, not to be teased. 

[09:24] Ten🔥: Eager for it? 

[09:24] Babyboy💕: just wondering

[09:24] Ten🔥: Don't lie, good boy

[09:24] Ten🔥: Or i’ll start believing you have never been such

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	5. Dancing on my backseat

Tight like a freaking clock, at 14:30, it came the text from Ten to Taeyong’s phone. And he is the one who said Taeyong was eager...

It makes the older one smirk to himself knowing that the model is at least a bit like Taeyong himself, a needy person.

[14:30] Ten🔥: Go outside lee taeyong 

[14:30] Babyboy💕:outside? 

[14:30] Ten🔥: I promised not to fuck you in your workplace

[14:30] Ten🔥: And I appreciate your mother and her job, I don't wanna stain her curtains 

[14:30] Ten🔥: Come on, clock's ticking

[14:30] Ten🔥: Come out kitty kitty

At the ring of his phone with that text, Taeyong is already in front of the store and has spotted Ten's car waiting for him. 

Is not hard to do, because it's not the most average looking car of the street.

The neighbourhood where the atelier is located is an expensive zone, as it is proper for a high standing tailoring store, but a black Tesla S p100d is enough to make several women turn their faces to see it. And the fact that the man at the pilot seat is so young and attractive had the other half turning too. 

He has the window down, and Taeyong leans in with a playful smile in his glossy, shimmering lips flaunting a thick coat of strawberry gloss. 

"Meaw"

Ten chuckles, falling for the cuteness of the tailor and the bounce of the small pigtail that holds his long hair up and out of his lovely face.

"Get in" 

Taeyong seems smiley too, as he opens the door and starts settling in. 

"Is this your car?"

"Yeah. You like it?"

Taeyong sits on the copilot seat, diving in the leather upholstery and smelling the perfect scent of an immaculate vehicle that almost appears like it’s brand new. 

Not literally, but the tailor could say it smells like money as he is embraced in the smooth front seat.

"It makes me wet" he says, unabashedly pleased by Ten's glaring exhibit of wealth in front of him. 

"-er?"

"Wetter" grants Taeyong. "Fair enough"

He is stretching like a cat on the huge seat, showing up the curve of his body with a particular will to make things fire up as much as he can. 

It must be working, if he has to judge by the way Ten is staring at him and eating him up with his eyes. Being subtle must not be among the qualities of the model, which finally feels for Taeyong like one advantage in his favour. 

Spurred by this, he puts effort in the way his muscles stretch, and his sweater rides up a little, showing the dips of his thin waist and the pale and smooth skin of his abdomen right above the elastic band of his boxers. After that, he lets himself plop back onto the seat with a tiny, non-accidental whimper of satisfaction and the almost imperceptible flick of his head to put his hair in the right place. 

"Are you going to start the car or is it just a very expensive prompt?" 

Before they leave the place, he can see how Ten's eyes darken up, and his expression changes with the lopsided smirk, starting a wave of something different in his aura, new and unknown for Taeyong. 

Whatever it is, makes Ten’s pretty face turn as impish as adorable, and so he turns on the engine and presses hard on the pedal, launching the car through the avenue.

If that's how his stare turns once Taeyong finally gets under his skin, the view is a sheer wonder, he is sure.

He licks his lips, quietly staring at Ten handling the car and looking so fine that he is starting to feel indignation. After the first shockwave of shyness and respect he got from Ten, the power of judgment has come back to him, but it has bern only to make him realize that every time he sees Ten, he finds himself thinking he looks better than the last time around. 

The older one assumes that he must be coming from an important schedule, maybe even taking a break from it, because Ten's eyes have a faint trace of eyeliner and black pigment on them, but it’s fading now. His hair is not just floppy, but styled with an effortless look that goes well with his silver loop earrings and the rings on his hands over the wheel. 

For the first time, Taeyong notices how many accessories this man wears and how they still don't look random. Even the two pendants around his neck, disappearing under the material of a toasted color shirt that looks a couple sizes too big on him, look carefully selected. 

It's a proof of his own statement about Ten's solid style. 

He wonders if Ten sleeps with all of that on or if he takes it off when he goes to bed. 

He is spacing out and checking Ten out too much too, he knows, but who cares? He also knows what they are meeting for, is not hard to tell that there’s crazy mad attraction floating around them, even in a silent car. 

Finally, his moment to concentrate on the handsome man by his side is here. Since he is focused on the road ahead and unable to see his dumb, struck expression. 

He feels like floating on a cloud, given the opportunity to be close enough to see all his details without having to be collected because he is at work. 

He hates the moment he even thought about making that rule a thing. 

Attraction is so _silly_ , especially the type Taeyong has for Ten. 

He has seen many handsome boys before, he has been with them before, but with Ten he can't help but feeling that odd heat on the bottom of his stomach as if it was his first time trying something thrilling. 

Taeil? He had been scalding. Xiaojun? Quite lewd. 

There is a list of the men Taeyong gave more than words to, but it might be the overconfidence, the rampant fearlessness that he radiates, or something on those lines; but just looking at Ten makes Taeyong bite his lips and think too fast about laying naked on a blanket on the wooden floor, under the glazing glow of a fire letting Ten do the unspeakable to him. 

Thoroughly, his eyes are in a race to find all the secret things in the model's sun-kissed skin without absurd editing from magazines.

He can even find a couple of flaws, like the tiny scar of a scratch on his cheek and the way his long eyelashes are too straight to make them show off. 

He is human after all, it’s good to know. 

The curve of his nose makes it hard to believe, and so do his sharp cheekbones and his lips that… curl on a knowing smile just as Taeyong keeps gaping at everything that’s in his vision field. 

“And so?” he asks. “You are so quiet, babe, I'm about to worry”

He is starting to hate him a little bit, but among the score of things that Taeyong feels for him, the hate percentage it’s too little to win over anything else. 

Plus being called babe by Ten softens any possible offense and makes the hate morph into longing, as he just want to roughly dip his nails on his back as payback. 

“No, I was just… you know” finally says Taeyong, proceeding to clear his throat. "Where are we going?" 

Ten keeps driving on the streets, but they don't have that much time, it's not like he can invite him to a luxurious hotel room during the time of a lunch break. 

"If it's okay with you, just wherever I can park this car and have you all for me on the backseat" 

Taeyong's mind makes a pause. 

He is too blind with lust to process the words that are thrown at him, but his cheeks flush with need and his tongue dries even when his mind is still catching up. 

"Next turn to the left"

"Eh?" Asks Ten, surprised. 

"Take the next turn to the left" he says, hastily, making Ten smile. "There's a private parking lot for offices' employees because all this zone has the street parking reserved for residents" 

“A little bit of a public space, don’t you think?”

“I don't really mind. And your windows are tinted”

"Love your efficiency, Lee Taeyong"

In fact, his indications are right. He has recommended the parking before to some clients during very packed days, and it’s not hard to find an empty space in a dark corner at the hour they are in, since everyone in the district is working or heading to a restaurant to have lunch already.

The surroundings don't have anything special to them, it’s just a space with pillars separating the parking spots and a smooth floor that screeches when Ten maneuvers to get the car in reverse gear, fitting it between the wall and one random car just in case anyone lurks in. 

Maybe it’s not the most romantic place on earth, but romance has been out of the table since the start, and all the esketchiness of the parking lot is muted by the fancy envelope of Ten's luxury car. 

Just as the model had said, as soon as he parks and turns off the engine, he gets rid of the seatbelt and flexibly moves to the backseat and nestles there, legs spreading comfortably and eyes giving Taeyong a dark look. 

He pats his thighs with a growing smirk.

"Come, kitty"

Taeyong doesn't need any more sign for it, practically jumping to the backseat like a spring.

He doesn't even bother to land on one of the empty seats, going straight to sit astride on Ten's lap, wrapping his arm around his neck and crushing his lips on the model. 

For a moment, his body stiffens with the surprise of Taeyong’s attack, but his mouth parts quickly, receiving him vividly and putting his arms around his hips, pushing the older closer in less than a second.

"Kissing is okay now? Okay then" scoffs Ten, funny with the impulse before he straightens his back and joins his lips with Taeyong again, kissing him deeply and fast, so different from the day before, when he gave him that strange peck at the fitting room.

This one is way better, passionate and fueled by the driving force of yearning that has kept Taeyong waiting for days, making him understand that this time, Ten can gift him with satisfaction for real and not just play with him through a cold chatroom.

The mere idea makes him lick over Ten’s lips to part them again and suck on his tongue, grounding his hips down over the younger's lap.

His face heats up with the feel of Ten's lips curling up under his, for Taeyong just got on top of him and the model can most likely feel the tight excitement under his clothes. 

Taeyong prompts himself on his knees by Ten's side, allowing some space between them, but with decision, the other's hands stroke behind his thighs, going up to Taeyong's ass to squeeze it through the very tight black pants he is wearing today, probably on purpose of showing it off. He pushes Taeyong down deeper to make him grind his hips with a sluggish move, slow as he drags the stroke. 

Taeyong’s lips part on the kiss to breath out with a sound, as the model circles his hips putting pressure against his crotch with his own. It’s so subtle that it could be barely noticeable from the outside, but in the heat of the moment, it contributes to the charged ambience between them. 

His hands grab Ten’s shoulders for support, moving his hips over him and rolling them with a messy pattern that has him troubled, but he can’t stop doing it, since Ten’s hands are on his hips and guiding him back and forth. 

“I l-love this" he murmurs quietly into the air, looking at him with sultry eyes. 

Ten returns the stare, making him want to drip. 

"I can tell" he replies, hand dropping to squeeze the growing retrain in his jeans so hard that Taeyong yelps.

He pants and keeps panting as his hips move over Ten and his mouth is kissed by the younger deliciously. 

The model's lips are small and wet from Taeyong's enthusiastic pecks while he moves down and peppers his neck with small bites and licks that make Taeyong’s blood rush to fill up his dick even more. 

He can't believe he is making out with his number one internet crush, it's bizarre, and maybe it's not going to give him good results, but he can't stop to think like a coherent adult, his body just talks for him instead and pushes him through the actions. 

He wants to see Ten get loose for him, it has replaced his previous fantasy of meeting him in the top spot of goals. 

Ten's hands are playing with the edge of his shirt and pulling it up to pamper the skin of his hips, his stomach, ribs and every available inch of it, starting with light touches but then switching to pressure and nails, eliciting tingles that make Taeyong's body shake. 

Without stopping circling his hips, he pulls back from Ten's lips to let him slip his sweater over his head and leave it on the seat. 

It's close to be a mistake, or that's what Taeyong thinks when his sensitive, bare skin clashes with Ten's clothes and the youngest attach his lips to the soft flesh under his jaw, repeatedly rolling his tongue over that spot that actually makes him go through the roof, working wonders with it. 

He can only imagine how good it would be inches bellow and whimper, throwing his head back for the model to have better access. 

His hands tremble as they run upon Ten's shoulders, fisting the material, arching his back and mewling keenly with Ten’sarms wrapping around his his tightly so he wouldn’t topple back. 

Taeyong doesn’t know exactly how he is still skillful enough in this condition, but he manages to get rid of the buttons of Ten’s shirt, eagerly crushing down to meet the natural warmth of his skin and the pulse of his heart under it. 

He mewls, pleased, which doesn’t help the ache in Taeyong’s pants growing in urgency. 

His nails tease the skin of Ten’s bare shoulders ever so slightly that it doesn't even draw red scratches, but he wishes. 

With surprise, Taeyong discovers that the model can be delicate when he wants, as his hand slowly descends between them, caressing his chest with his fingertips, not pulling back from the open-mouthed kisses on his neck that make Taeyong's length keep twitch so bad. 

It’s only a ghost touch, but his hand drops to Taeyong’s crotch again, putting a small amount of pressure on it. However, Taeyong moves against it with a sharp shift of his hips and mewls even louder, latching his mouth under Ten’s ear, nipping on the sensitive skin. 

"Come on" 

Ten chuckles with the small hitch of Taeyong’s breath when he lifts his hand again. 

"I'm starting to know why 30 minutes are just the starter for you"

"Are you accusing me?" Giggles Ten, and the vibration oh his laugh pressed against his throat makes Taeyong shut his eyes tight. "Because I think you are not in a position to complain"

"You are still mean after days of playing around with me" 

"It gives me joy in life" confesses the model, playing with the buckle of Taeyong's belt and starting to undo it very slowly.

Taeyong can't do more than a little bounce on Ten's lap, tilting back to give him space to snap the belt off, because if he wants something, it's to get rid of those stupid pants as soon as possible. They make his butt look great but they are too tight to be any comfortable in his state. 

He shudders with pleasure just with the act of having his fly unzipped. 

His face must be a scene, and so he hurries up and buries it on the crook of Ten’s neck, fingers tangling with his bi-color hair.

The model must want to hear him whine again, moving under him and angling his hips to brush his crotch against Taeyong’s. Meanwhile the older is squirming and giving him an inconvenient hickey on his neck to press down a moan. 

Only Ten taking his chin between his fingers and carefully putting Taeyong back can stop his act.

The model looks into his eyes, dead serious for a solid second "You can't do that"

"But-"

"Kiss me all you want, where you want, but you can't mark me" 

"But-"

"Stop talking back" he warns, eyes falling back to the natural slits of feline mischief "What if you open that mouth just to moan" He says so with his hand slipping inside Taeyong's jeans and pressing down over the tent on his pants, which causes the tailor to comply with his request accidentally, a moan erupting from the bottom of his throat. "See? Just like that"

Following Ten's game, he stretches his back more, as he had done in the seat earlier. 

"If you want, I'll moan for you"

"I'll make sure you do" 

"You like that?" He purrs, getting more and more into the shamelessly lewd mood they are building. "Want to hear me go all crazy for you, uh? So cocky"

He stays up on his knees to let Ten sloy pull down the rest of his clothes, pants and underwear together to make it crump on the floor.

His hardness springs free, all hard and pink for Ten’s pleasure while Taeyong makes his troubled noise sound extra indecent, tongue pressing down on his bottom lip. 

He is so completely naked over Ten now, and at a loss of words. 

His cheeks flush, but in a good way, in the 'I like this a lot' way. 

The scene he sees when he looks down and sees Ten between his legs, guiding a finger down from the tip of his cock, is so erotic for him that he shamelessly grind down against Ten’s cloathed thigh, the coarse feeling of the jeans brushing his sensitive hardness and sending chills all over his blood. 

The way it feels when it finally brushes against something unrestrained makes his mind dull, but Ten presses a hand on his chest and makes him lean back until Taeyong’s knees give up under his own weight and he lays on the backseat, cold leather against his skin, making him hiss and arch his back. 

He is so hot that the contrast of temperature makes his head spin.

"You are needy, aren't you?" Sings the younger practically crawling over him. 

"Yes"

Ten takes a hold of his hips and firmly guides him against the car's seat, making him spread his legs using his knee to drive them apart. 

He probably looks obscene all sprawled on the impollute black leather of the car but he feels way to proud about that. 

He would even let Ten take a picture of him if he asked, but he knows Ten is not going to ask for that. At least not when he is lowering his lips onto his chest to kiss him and licking a shiny stripe up to his collarbones. 

The older one is so far from coherence, letting out airy moans and only thinking about how good Ten’s hot tongue feels over his skin. 

He closes his eyes hard, trying not to think of how his mouth would feel wrapping around his throbbing cock, left unattended under the weight ot the model. 

God, he really likes foreplay, doesn't he? 

Taeyong loves it too, but today he is so giddy... 

He whines again. 

"Please..." 

Ten's laugh rips an intense sparkle when it makes his skin shake. 

"Please what?"

"Aren't we in a rush?"

"Are you? I'm not" 

"Ten, come on, don't play, I have to go back at my hour and I know I can't say no to you?"

"You can't?" Asks Ten, sly. 

Taeyong knows he is making Ten’s ego grow bigger with his rushed pleas, he knows for the way his smirk tilts and his fingers are digging in his hips harder than before. 

"Not really"

"You know you can say no to me, right? Whenever you want to stop me"

"Not now!" He almost yells. 

Ten is so stuck-up, indeed, and his nails are marking the skin on his hips with moon shaped drawings.

"Lee Taeyong wants me to touch him quickly". He sings. “Right?”

Taeyong is going to talk back again, forgetting what Ten told him but he gets interrupted. 

That sensation, that feeling, has Taeyong arching his back, feeling different from all other touches he has been given. Maybe because Ten is his years old crush or maybe because the sweetheart he knows from interviews has a dark side that made him wait for days. 

Maybe both. 

He starts out by only closing his fingers around his glistening, urging tip, holding the hand still Nd squeezing while the tailor squirms under him, body shuddering with chills. 

He is already gulping down a sound, which seems to make Ten sneer darkly and slide his hand downwards, tickling the shaft with his nails.

Naturally, because the contact is too soft to do anything that is not pure and cruel tease, Taeyong's throat goes out with a whine. 

"T-Ten..."

The model caressed the inside of Taeyong's thighs, playing hard to get as he tries to buckle his hips up to find his touch, but only meeting air. His sigh becomes swallowed, and paying attention to the desperate sounds that Taeyong is unsuccessfully trying to keep leashed, Ten’s hand grips properly to stroke him up and down, a bit faster each time, a bit harder each time.

Taeyong's chest feels heavy and the heat that fills him in makes him unable to keep back his sweet moans that seem to make Ten's eyes get even darker. 

The model slows it down for a moment, allowing Taeyong to catch his breath, even though that's not what he is exactly thinking about.

"Lee Taeyong, maybe it’s true that you're a good boy, after all"

The older pants, smiling in satisfaction, and intoxicating with the huskier voice that comes from Ten now. He wonders if under his clothes Ten is as affected as his dilated pupils say. 

"And patient. Even though I think that is hard for you… but you've earned a little reward, yes?"

Wordless, Taeyong squirms, aching to be pleased and praised more.

"Finally silent, Lee Taeyong?"

He blushes. It’s just his full name, but it makes his heart beat when Ten calls it.

His mind starts picking up on a fantasy of hearing him say it more urgently and between pants, he thinks about Ten’s hitched breath and his golden skin glazing with sweat. 

As he thinks, only helping himself to get closer to it, Ten flutters his fingertips over him again, making him shiver as she traced a mesmerising pattern with them. 

Taeyong doesn't think he has been that hard in years. In fact, without noticing it, as soon as Ten resumes what he was doing before, so does Taeyong, starting to grind into the expensive ass leather seats of his car, squirming under his touch getting rougher.

" _Fuck_ " he yelps as Ten stops it again and then begins tracing a slow patterns over the tip, as Taeyong fights with himself to not moan as loud as he could while he rolls his hips up shamelessly.

Yet, it doesn’t even stop there, within a couple of seconds Ten flicks his wrist again, playing with the tailor's leaking shaft until Taeyong’s chest rises and falls fast and his back arches high from the seat. 

For some reason, he believes that what's tickling his cheek is a hot tear running down just because of edging bliss. 

With the softest of the caresses, ironically, Ten whips it off with the back of his- free- hand. 

"Too much?"

Taeyong shakes his head so furiously Ten can't help but giggle. 

"More?" 

Taeyong is glad that he is not being asked for proper words, because he is almost sure that he can't form them anymore. He nods, leaving behind a smile that is as cute as explicit. 

Well, Ten sure indulges him, starting to squeeze hard, whilst pumping even harder. Every stroke is making Taeyong gasp with the tightening of his navel, the rush of sparkles expanding through his body like an earthquake. 

He knows his 30 minutes are about to end, but end good. 

Not wanting to mess Ten's car upholstery, he desperately holds on Ten's clothes, crippling them on his fists and tugging as his body arches more. His attempts to squirm free, however, meet with a tightened grip of Ten's perfect hand moves.

All the way through, he is watching Taeyong's face, observing every reaction with growing self-esteem and secretly having the hot sweat running on him because of Taeyong's sounds and face. 

He is too beautiful to be done with him in half an hour, he needs like a lifetime to pamper and spoil him like he deserves. 

Through his lashes, with his eyes half closed because of the numbing pleasure pooling on his lower stomach, Taeyong tries to hold eye contact with Ten, but his eyes are about to roll back, feeling that he is too close.

"Ten, I don't… I don’t want to spot your car" he can barely say. 

The younger laughs about that, seeming really careless about that possibility. 

Taeyong's whole body begins to tingle and stiffen, and he can feel either the sweat or another tear start to stream off his face.

The feel of Ten leaning on him to press his cold lips against his heated neck sets him over the edge, tangling his fingers with his hair and pulling him down into a scorching kiss, crying out in ecstasy as it all ends all over him and probably over Ten too, considering how close they are.

His eyes flutter, opening to see Ten's amused expression close to his face, as he leans on his chest. His hand is still wrapped around his dick, caressing him, but quite lightly, just like a comforting little gesture towards him. Maybe not as comforting as the kiss that comes later, joining his lips with Taeyong that, actually, feels surprised about it. 

But so keen. 

"Sorry" says Taeyong, sly and amused. He still sounds innocent after all. "You made me do that" 

"You really needed that, uh? You are all over the place" sings Ten, hand moving up from the middle of his legs to show him that he is dripping with his liquified enthusiasm. "Someone liked it too much?" 

Taeyong blushes a little, but he laughs. And then cuts out his laugh to blush even more when Ten sticks out his tongue and licks the tip of his fingers clean. 

Oh god, he wishes he can record the image in his mind. It's so filthy... so likeable... 

"Thank you for the meal"

"Ten!" He complains, laughing and pulling down from his wrist. "Don't do that, you nasty little shit" 

The model burst into laughter with him, the sound moving all his body and making him clap cutely a couple of times. 

"Sorry, sorry, too much?" 

Sometimes Ten looks so adorable that Taeyong has to stop himself and remember he is not only made of the sexual tension.

He is confused, confused about how many sides of the same Ten are there and what's the one that puts a chaste kiss on his lips before he helps Taeyong up on the seat again, since he is still leaning there and his skin has begun to stick to the leather with an uncomfortable and sticky feel of heat.

It's not like he is tired, but Taeyong definitely needs a break after the high tension he has been put under, so without a lot of shame, his arms wrap around Ten and he leans on his chest.

He quietly waits a few seconds to see what Ten's reaction is going to be, because maybe he is crossing the line due to not even knowing if there's a line to mind, but Ten just lets him rest his head on his shoulder.

Because of the moment of silentce between the two men, it occurs in Taeyong’s mind that Ten is like one of those sour candies. 

The way he teases him, plays and pulls from Taeyong without boundaries is part of his taste, but at the same time, he turns unexpectedly sweet at times. 

He is the extreme of each edge.

"Are you comfortable?" Murmurs Ten in a lower voice than his normal tone, as if Taeyong is really falling asleep and he is hesitant of waking him up or not. 

"Actually, yes"

There's a little humm from Ten coming under Taeyong. 

Ten's arms are still around his waist, and his fingers even trace little doodles over his back without noticing it. 

"You look sleepy, so you are making it hard for me to tell you that I have to drive you back to the store" 

"Ugh, I guess that I don’t have a choice" he whines, raising his head up as if going out of a slumber and stretching his stiff muscles under the diverted glance of his companion. "Do you have schedules today?" 

"I sure have things to do. I have to take my cats to the vet and I have to go shopping with Mark to pick an important outfit, so I have chores to finish"

"I love your cats" 

Ten gives him a look, the tilt of his eyes inquisitive.

"Since when? Have I talked about them with you before?" 

"I don't know" keeps explaining the tailor. Either because he is growing more and more used to spend time talking with Ten and, like so, more comfortable with him; or because he is too satisfied and comfy in his arms to care about making himself look like someone he isn't, Taeyong is totally sincere with him. "Probably since the first time you posted a picture on your Instagram. You post a lot of videos and pictures of them, and they are cute to me"

"Ah... you follow me" 

"A lot of people does" 

"Yeah, there’s no problem, but I mean… you are more interesting than others" 

"You gave me an orgasm, you don't need to make me pleased like that" 

"I am being honest" he says, steadily. "I appreciate those who support me, a lot, but the level of interests… it's different if I can talk to you and share good stuff" 

Taeyong chews on the words, trying to evaluate their taste, more likely belonging to the mellow side of the model. 

"Thank you" He says, not really seeing the half smile that plays with Ten's lips, but he feels it pressed on his skin, since his head is still leaning on him. "So you don’t mind?"

"As you said, there’s a lot of people that follow my page. It's okay, as long as you didn't follow me around with a camera…" 

"No, gosh"

"Then don't worry, I can’t sue you" he says humorously with a breathy laugh, but the sound almost saddens Taeyong. "Can I follow you back?"

The older separates from him this time, to look well at his face, his eyebrows shooting under his disheveled blonde hair. 

"Why's that a question? Do _you_ want to follow me back?" 

"Yes. But I mean, it's complicated sometimes" says Ten, trying to explain his unique question. "You know, I'm not the most famous person but there are people that still talk about who I follow or not" 

"Oh..."

"Yeah, and they may stalk you. I know there's people who are very taken aback about that. I don't think the public can guess what we do... here..." he says gesturing amusedly with his hands towards Taeyong and his lower body, making him remember with a tint of blush that he is still naked over him, in his car. "Or at least not yet, but they'll take a look at your profile for sure, maybe even follow you and all of that" 

"Well, I am a fashion oriented worker and my page is full of me and my clothes, it's not that suspicious that I have a tie with a model, right? It's all work related"

Ten gives him one of his lopsided grind, knowing too well that they are pushing work matters further each time. 

The irony is funny enough. 

"You are not wrong, Lee Taeyong... pretty and smart, no wonder why you set me off" 

Taeyong laughs, lips curling playful and cunning with the praise. 

"Right"

It's simple, and maybe even silly, but he feels so happy and careless right now, sharing the moment with Ten.

He can't help but to act as his body tells him to do. Since he is leaning on his body, an exploring finger traces the sweet path between Ten’s collarbone and the center of his chest, deflecting to the side to brush over a nipple.

His lips touch the cold silver of Ten’s earing, and his tongue is tucked out to greet it as well before he can speak slowly over his ear. 

"I still have time to pay you back for the ride"

Ten mimics his gesture, leaning on Taeyong's ear too as he caresses his cheek gently; and using the same volume and a tactile murmure that wisps on his ear, he replies. 

"You have been running late since the last ten minutes, babe"

***

He arrives late for forty-five whole minutes, and even though Ten has driven him back until the very same door of his working place, he comes in sweating. 

His mother, surprised and waiting behind the counter, doesn't miss the chance to scold him about it. 

"Where did you even go at this hour, young man? I told you to bring a lunchbox and eat here, the schedule is packed with people and I don't want to be here until midnight finishing my shift"

The tailor quickly gives an evasive look to the floor.

"Sorry, there was a long line in the restaurant" 

At least, his poor excuse that he didn't have time to elaborate is credible because of the paper bag with the donut he is holding in his hand and the half empty cup with a straw. 

Ten had insisted in making a little stop at one food stand before dropping Taeyong, resulting in the extra minutes of delay that win Taeyong the well-deserved reproach of his mother and boss. 

Is not like he had done an extenuating ammount of effort in his encounter with the model, in fact he pretty much laid down and let Ten do everything, he wouldn't be fainting for skipping a meal, but he couldn’t really say no to Ten when he offered a sack. 

Needless to say, Taeyong is convinced that Ten's insistency was born from his own hunger and the way he sipped from his iced americano happily, but he appreciated the gesture, anyways.

"Well, don't do it again, this season is packed with appointments and we can't afford to be late or work would pill up and take us home very late"

"Sorry, mom, I promise I won't do it again"

"I know, sweetie, I know" she says, ruffling his hair a bit and putting it in the right place. Again, if she knew why it looks so messy, she wouldn’t be so motherly. "Go and start your shift"

"Yeah, I'll check the table"

"How is it going with Ten?"

Taeyong almost chokes on his drink, but when he looks at her, he remembers that Ten and him are supposed to actually have a professional thing going on and an ongoing commission.

"Ah... ah... he is very..."

"I knew you would stammer" says his mom, funny. How pathetic hearing that feels is another story. If his mother knows how weak to a pretty boy he is he must be an open book to everyone, including Ten himself. "But it looks like you are doing a good job. He mentioned it"

"He mentioned me? To you?"

For reasons, Taeyong doesn't know what to think about that, nor about the way his mother beams. 

"Yeah, he said it feels comfortable working with you"

"Ah..."

"Is he nice with you?" 

"Yeah" he says, shyly but not able to hold a silly smile. "He treats me right" 

"Who treats you right?" Sings Jungwoo as he enters the store, startling Taeyong with his knocking energy.

What goes on with his friends visiting him during his turn, lately? They are being a bit nerve wracking at this point, which happens when you try to hide a secret even from them and they keep showing up unannounced. 

"Customers" brushes off Taeyong. 

"Taeyongie, sweetie, I need to attend Mister Kim for his suit fitting. I'll let you talk with Jungwoo for a bit, but take the next appointment right away, yeah?" 

"Yes, mom"

"Have a good day, Jungwoo" she says to the youngest friend too.

"Bye bye, Mrs. Lee" he waves adorable, and then follows Taeyong's way to the counter.

The older goes behind the screen of the computer, checking out the following appointments, while Jungwoo leans at the other side. 

Taeyong scans him from the top of his head to this waist, trying to extract something from the bright appearance he has in his face.

"What are you doing here? We have lots of appointments today and I'm already late, I don't know how much time I have until Miss Kwon arrives for..." he checks on the database what's the next task and suppresses a gagged whine when he sees the word 'bride' noted there, "... her bride dress fitting"

"Okay, I'll be quick, but we have to talk! It's about yesterday's party with Johnny" 

Well, Taeyong can't deny he is deeply interested in whatever Jungwoo is going to tell him if he walked all the way to the atelier just to tell him something and it’s related to their other friend.

"I sent you like a million texts to tell you I was coming but you... agh, always so busy. The fuck were you doing?"

"I wanted to eat," he says, not lying at all. "But I kinda didn't, I just got a sweet dessert" 

Jungwoo doesn't question it too much. 

"Remember this morning when I said that I didn't remember a lot from the party?" 

"Yeah. Was it a hard party? I thought you said your classmates were boring and unseferable"

"And they are, they are so basic... but they like to show off in front of others, so cocktails looked so bright and inviting that I... bottoms up, Taeyong, that's why they say"

"On a weekday?"

"It was a stress release! You should try it sometime"

"I am not stressed, I tell you. Not now. So what? You remembered something?"

"Kinda" states the youngest. And just after that, he grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls down.

Taeyong's eyebrows shot up, seeing the wild canvas of purple on his smooth skin. 

"Crap... Jungwoo..."

"Yeah" he lets go of the material and tries to go back into it. Now Taeyong understands why he chose the turtleneck on a not so cloudy day of spring. "Found this out this morning when I took a shower, I almost tripped"

"My shirt definitely worked fine, I can tell that much. It's worth the price, so I better get it back safe and sound"

"You think it was...him?"

"Who? Johnny?" Asks Taeyong amused. "I know hot to recognize a Suh painting when I see one. So messy and all over the place, look at it"

Jungwoo looks almost proud with Taeyong’s words, and he probably is more than that, but the older can’t blame him for it. 

When Taeyong met him, Jungwoo was only eighteen-years-old and needed to make friends in the new city. He had moved to the capital to pursue his scholarship in mechanical ingeneering but, sadly, in his class and dorm it was hard to find someone to be close with, minding the fact that Jungwoo had always been so indescreetely homosexual. 

He didn’t want friends if he had to hide that, after all, it was the way he was and he shouldn’t be changing just because of a few, dull engineers. 

When he met Taeyong at the bakery one day, all of it by chance, it wasn’t only a change for the good in his bad luck finding friends, but Taeyong also introduced him to Doyoung right away, and later on, to Johnny. 

It didn’t take long for him to plunge after that. 

Even if he doesn’t feel that way for him and just sees him as his best friend, Taeyong knows that Johnny is that great guy that’s easy to love. He knows Jungwoo has different eyes for him from almost the beginning. 

John has always been the type of friend who makes you laugh with his silly and adorable jokes, but that can have a deep conversation, as well. He is caring, he knows how to listen well and makes people around him feel so bubbly and comfortable with his jokes. He is like a cloud of happiness that has condensed into a human being, and when Jungwoo had been at his lowest, thinking about dropping out and with a lacking self-steem, Johnny had sat with him on the rim of the pool while everyone had fun in that decadent college party they had during his third year at uni and gave him advice, comfort and words so soft… that Jungwoo had noticed he was feeling sparkles inside his chest. 

And those didn’t die, but rather kept expanding. 

Sometimes, Taeyong feels terribly guilty. 

He is like the witness, quiet in a corner seeing the movie unfold because those two can’t really tell what is going on with their feelings. 

Jungwoo is so into him, and Taeyong is sure that Johnny could do so nice with him, but the idiot is stubborn and thinks about Taeyong, all obstinate. 

A triangle, one could say. Or a square, now. 

"How was it? Good?"

"I… don't know"

“Don’t tell me that you have a Suh special on your neck and you can’t remember him giving it to you” says Taeyong, amused and incredulous, cocking an eyebrow. "How many shots did you have before it?"

“Well, it’s not like I forgot everything… I remember some stuff”

“Define some stuff. Unless it’s sex, then write it in your diary”

Jungwoo scofs, knowing that Taeyong is just lighting up the mood. He would have loved it to be the s word.

“Not that, it’s just that… I remember we were having fun at the dancefloor, we where goofing around, you know how Johnny is...”

“Yeah, and?”

“And the music… usually, as the night goes on, the music starts getting more exciting…”

“Sexy, yeah. Jungwoo, are you getting shy now? With me?” asks Taeyong, surprised. Jungwoo is not a bashful person, in general, so the situation may be hitting him hard enough to see him curling into himself. “The night was on, what else?” 

“We started dancing together. But like together together, grinding and all” 

“And all?” almost yelps Taeyong. He really has no time, and the woman that he supposes that it’s Mrs. Kwon is entering the atelier with a certified bridesmaid and bowing to them as greeting, so the tailor smashes his hand on the cristal top of the counter. “You kissed?”

Jungwoo bites his lips. 

“Not really”

“Oh, come on!” 

“You have to help me, Yong!”

“Me? It’s not me who has to put his lips to work, it's you!”

“Talk to him, please” says Jungwoo, gesturing as if he is about to pray with his hands together. "I need to knoe of he remembers and if he thinks it's weird or something" 

Taeyong gulps.

How can he even tell the youngest that the last time he saw Johnny it was to fight because he is flirting with his platonic crush? What if Johnny did all of it because of spite? 

Mother of god, Taeyong is just noticing how tangled this shit is turning out to be. 

“Jungwoo, I…”

“Please, please talk to him" 

“F-fine… but i don’t know how it’s going to work”

“Try, please”

“Okay…" he sighs, unable to say no to Jungwoo's sparkly eyes. "Okay”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	6. Suh Special

It’s true that Jungwoo had sent him a lot of messages while he was "having lunch". 

When Taeyong has time to unlock his phone, there is a bubble with the number 18 by his his friend's name. 

He opens the chat and types a fast “sorry for not answering you, babe, i’ll try to help with Johnny but idk how it’ll work” and closes it. 

He is surprised but there’s also a number one by Ten’s name. He feels intrigued enough to open it before going out of the atelier to close the day. 

[19:26] Ten🔥: I wanted them to say hi to you but they are asleep.... lazy asses....

The message is accompanied by a simple photo of both his cat, resting on a pet bed one over the other. As he said earlier, Taeyong is familiar with them, because they appear often in Ten’s page, but up close and snoozing together, the couple of siamese and abyssinian cats are even more adorable than he had pictured before. 

[20:17] Babyboy💕: don’t wake them up, please, they are so cute!

He stays there, smiling at the screen for a minute more, and then switches to the menu and takes a deep breath. 

God… Johnny. 

He is torn between the stupid discussion he had with him because of his stupid jealousy, and the way Jungwoo asked him to help him with his big puppy eyes. Taeyong can't say no to him when he does that, no one can, it's like taking a cookie from a child, it's a villainous thing to do. But on the other hand, Johnny didn't have the right to react like that to the things Taeyong decided to do with his sexual-affective life, because he is an adult that can take decisions by himself, and Johnny honestly behaved like a prick. 

He knows Johnny is not the kind of nosy person who tells you what to do and frowns when he is not listened to. Which is worse, in this situation, because Taeyong knows that he is just green of envy because of Ten. 

Because he turned out to not be the one for Taeyong. 

It makes things more difficult than they should be. Taeyong can't just go to Jungwoo and apologize saying that he can't date the man he likes because said man wants to eat his ass. Not to say, that if he ever had to explain to Jungwoo that he was aware of the feelings Johnny had for him but told him to act anyways, he would be screwed. 

Maybe that's another sign that he should front the things like they are and talk to John, making things work again putting them on the right road. 

[20:25] Princess TY: Johnny, I know you are mad at me, but can we talk?

[20:25] Johnny: i'm not 

[20:26] Princess TY: u aren't?

[20:26] Johnny: no

[20:26] Princess TY: u sounded pretty mad yesterday 

[20:26] Princess TY: okay i am flirting with Ten Lee, so what? u scolded me like i am a little kid being rebellious

[20:27] Johnny: because this sounds odd to me

[20:27] Johnny: and it’s a shock too

[20:28] Johnny: you have always talked about Ten this and Ten that, you always say how much you like him, and then you suddenly seem to have an affair with him and didn't even tell me, i had to know by myself when i saw him drooling all over you

[20:28] Johnny: which anyways, it’s a deplorable spectacle to witness 

[20:29] Princess TY: but you understand that he has a public career? and that I work for him? 

[20:29] Princess TY: for obvious reasons i have to pretend a little bit, Johnny, don't pressure me

[20:29] Princess TY: i don't even know where this is going

[20:29] Princess TY: i always overthink but he just makes me have fun carelessly

[20:29] Princess TY: it wasn’t the moment to tell you about it and im sorry if i made you upset 

[20:29] Johnny: i’m sorry yongie 

[20:29] Johnny: really

[20:29] Johnny: but i don’t really know how to act about it

[20:29] Princess TY: just don’t say it yet please

[20:29] Princess TY: keep me the secret 

[20:30] Johnny: but is he worth it tho?

[20:30] Johnny: does he treat you well?

[20:30] Johnny: it worries me that he is using you just for a good time TY

Did Johnny have to go as far as suggesting that Taeyong is a piece of meat for the men around him to make his point go through? Apparently he did. 

Taeyong revolves in his coat as he walks towards his house, typing answers to his friend. 

Is not like he hasn’t thought about the way his connection with Ten is strange before, but he was just flowing with the situation. 

Is that he is not enough for a model? Of course he is, he values himself enough and he knows he is attractive. Ten let's him know it too, which he actually loves to hear, so he is not falling into that mindset. 

True, he had been hurt before because some men have the emotional depth of a clam, but it didn't seem like Ten could do something like that. Maybe that was more blind trust than he should have, but Taeyong couldn't spend his whole life fearing that every relationship of his turned shitty.

But was Johnny right? Did he decide to give his number to Ten just out of a little, delusional hope to build something more? Will he develop a wish of taking things beyond the physical? 

He clicks his tongue, annoyed with thoughts that he shouldn’t be having. 

[20:30] Princess TY: haven’t you thought that maybe i just want to have a good time with him too?

[20:30] Johnny: you have had a crush in him since forever

[20:30] Johnny: maybe you make up big expectations, you know what im saying?

[20:30] Princess TY: a crush is a crush, im not in love

[20:30] Princess TY: which brings me to the next point

[20:30] Princess TY: Jungwoo came to see me earlier 

[20:31] Johnny: and? 

[20:31] Princess TY: and someone was very excited last night with the hickeys am i right?

He stares at the screen, waiting for the reply as he stands waiting for the traffic light to allow pedestrians to cross the street, but the tiny number one disappears from the screen and his message stays there alone. 

Fantastic, now Johnny is ignoring his texts. 

The phone dings with the funny apple ringtone, whatsoever. 

[20:32] Ten🔥: how was Lee Taeyong’s day?

Taeyong's face lights up with a smile, sliding his fingers on the cold screen to open the chat that gives him more joy. 

[20:32] Babyboy💕: exhausting 

[20:32] Babyboy💕: u don’t even know how tiring weddings can be, specially if you don't attend them and just hear the guests days before the event crying because they are beautiful and their grandmother is so proud to be alive to see it

[20:32] Babyboy💕: it gives me headaches

[20:32] Ten🔥: hahaha don’t be mean~

[20:32] Babyboy💕: i can’t wait to arrive home and lay on my bed

[20:32] Ten🔥: you are not home yet?

[20:33] Babyboy💕: noooo TT TT

[20:33] Babyboy💕: almost 

[20:33] Ten🔥: didn’t you start working this morning? Get a rest, baby

[20:33] Babyboy💕: someone made me run late today, im paying the price 

[20:33] Ten🔥: guilty~ 

[20:33] Ten🔥: i'm sorry babe 🥰 don't hate me 

[20:33] Babyboy💕: it's okay, there’s just a lot of work in the store these days because everyone wants to get married in spring 

[20:33] Babyboy💕: it’s a bit stupid 

[20:34] Ten🔥: marriage? spring? 

Taeyong laughs nervously under his breath. 

He has to slip the phone in his pocket to cross the road safely, but he does it biting his nail all silly thinking about the thing that he is going to reply to that message. 

It’s a bit too exciting talking about that with Ten. 

He knows the way the model jokes around, and that he is doing it for fun now, probably because he knows that those things like risky questions make him giggly and nervous; but still, Taeyong thinks the answer well so he can play his part. 

Already back on the sidewalk, he smiles to his screen again. 

[20:34] Babyboy💕: to make someone cry because you are beautiful just when you are getting married

[20:34] Babyboy💕: as a true masterpiece i like people to cry for my beauty often 

[20:34] Ten🔥: HAHAHA

[20:34] Ten🔥: now i know who probably has a praise kink 

As an impressive characteristic of Ten, Taeyong can mention his capacity to make him blush with his words even when they are written on a katak chat. 

[20:34] Ten🔥: I should have told you today 

[20:34] Ten🔥: how beautiful you are when you are naked 

Redder than the traffic light he had left behind, that’s how Taeyong's face becomes, making the grandmother walking by his side turn to look at him with a strange, judgemental expression, but he couldn’t care less about that detail.

Well, at least he is arriving home and going up the stairs, in case he needs to collapse at some point through the conversation. 

[20:34] Babyboy💕: still in time to do it

[20:34] Ten🔥: oohh so you DO have a kink

[20:34] Ten🔥: i am going to use it wisely then 

[20:35] Babyboy💕: ur such a mean boy

[20:35] Babyboy💕: but I can't complain after today right? 😇😇😇

He sighs, for whatever reason. Then he types his real thoughts in. 

[20:35] Babyboy💕: seriously now, Ten, thank you for everything

[20:35] Babyboy💕: and thank you for buying coffee and a donut for me, I would have died of hunger if not

[20:35] Ten🔥: don't need to thank me 

[20:36] Ten🔥: you are so pretty you deserve all the orgasms and donuts 

He giggles, flopping in his bed, finally, letting out a groan. He is exhausted for all that he has done in the day, but at the same time, he is very happy and satisfied. 

Ten really makes his mood lift and Johnny can't make him doubt, whatever that they have going on makes him happy. And even if Taeyong is sorry because he may be hurting his friend, he knows it's fair for him to have this piece of fun for himself.

Is fair to be honest and show he wouldn't have it any other way, and that they all, maybe, should stop hiding their secrets from their friends. 

Talking about Johnny, though, his name pops on the screen when he least expects it. 

He thought that Johnny was ignoring him, but maybe he was just surprised about the direct way in which Taeyong brought out the topic. 

Or perhaps just dealing with the hangover and the blurry memories. 

[20:37] Johnny: does it look as wild as I think I remember? 

Taeyong smiles for himself. So Johnny knows what he has done. At least a bit of it through the words of his friend. 

Well, that’s a step. 

[20:37] Princess TY: his neck looks like a winter break of dawn

[20:37] Princess TY: all purple 

[20:37] Johnny: fuxk 

[20:37] Princess TY: so what happened 👀

[20:37] Johnny: fuck idk 

[20:38] Johnny: i mean 

[20:38] Johnny: we were having so much fun, we were both so tipsy and there was a sexy ass song playing, I don't even remember which one

[20:38] Johnny: I think it was Skin

[20:38] Johnny: by Rihanna, you know?

[20:38] Johnny: the one that goes

[20:38]  Johnny:  I got a secret set I wanna show you ooh I got a secret I'mma drop em to the floor

[20:38]  Johnny: i just googled that

[20:38] Johnny: but that doesn't even matter!

[20:39] Princess TY: you are so losing your cool right now 😂😂

[20:39] Princess TY: but to be fair Rihanna's music is hella sexy

[20:39] Johnny: yeah

[20:39] Johnny: we were dancing and suddenly i thought dude we are so close but honestly it heated me up 

[20:39] Princess TY: on god

[20:40] Johnny: before I knew it we were all over each other 

[20:40] Johnny: idk man 

[20:40] Princess TY: 🙊🙊🙊

[20:40] Johnny: i am confused tbh 

[20:40] Princess TY: why? 

[20:40] Johnny: don't know what got into me but you have seen it

[20:41] Johnny: it started as a game but it wasn't just a bit

[20:41] Johnny: I guess i was having fun for real

[20:41] Johnny: and now what?

[20:41] Johnny: we are friends 

[20:42] Princess TY: Do u have any of those? Did he give you the same?

[20:42] Johnny: 😳😳😳

[20:42] Johnny: just a couple of them (?

[20:42] Princess TY: and doesn't that say anything to you? 

[20:43] Johnny: idk ty

[20:43] Johnny: fuck

Taeyong sighs. 

He doesn’t know someone so oblivious to love signs as Johnny, and the thing really makes him want to yell at the top of his lungs and tell him everything but he knows it’s not his spot to solve whatever it is between his two friends. The decision is on them only, and especially on Jungwoo, who is only coming out of the shell of fear to be out there, out as what he really is when his life has so many close-minded environments.

No one deserves to be outed by another person.

***

"So w hat did he tell you?" Insist Jungwoo, following Taeyong into his dresser as the older one goes to hang his shirt that Jungwoo has assured a couple of times that he has washed. 

Taeyong believes him, the piece smelt fresh and like coconut soap, but he is enjoying teasing the youngest about his 'accident' with Johnny. 

He is so hasty with all of this, it can be understood just by watching him follow Taeyong across his house on a Saturday morning. 

Taeyong's mother had looked at his son when Jungwoo said his name through the intercom with a laugh and asked what happened to the sweetest kid of the group to be so insistent those days, but Taeyong had shook his head with another laugh and told her to let it be. 

"He remembers what he did"

"Really!? And what he thinks?"

"Well, he is... confused about it" 

"Define confused"

When Taeyong turns, Jungwoo is sat on the shoe shelf again and his face is clearly one for concern, so he surrenders to the conversation and careless sits too, on the chair of his dressing table that he has inside the closet (because sometimes, for special occasions, he puts a lot of effort in his look to colonize the bathroom and leave his mother waiting for hours if she needed it). 

"A little bit of what you feel like, but with the added confusion of knowing he went hard on you"

"So he knows he... marked me?"

"Don't make that innocent face, Jungwoo, he said he had a bunch of hickeys too"

By the way his eyes widen, Taeyong understands that he just told a new thing to the younger friend. 

"I did?" He chuckles, still a bit too satisfied despite the embarrassment. 

"I haven’t seen him but he said so. And that you had him heated up" 

"Really?" He asks again, more cocky this time. 

His ego seems to be rising as he listens to what Taeyong has to say. He had expected things to not go that well or take him longer, but Johnny is really getting into the game, finally. 

Or at least that's what it looks like. 

"Don't know what you did to him but yes, he mentioned it. He said that you two were dancing and things started heating up so he felt like that and you ended up with that violets field on your neck"

"Whoa… I actually…" tries Jungwoo, searching for his feelings and putting effort in organizing them. "I don't feel as guilty as I could"

"Of course you don't, you wanted this"

"But like... what now? What do I do? I haven't been able to say anything to him in private since that night"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I can only think about the two possible directions this can go" 

"Well, if you are not ready to talk about it, you can be quiet for now and let it sink in him" 

"Maybe"

"Yeah. As I see it, maybe he needs another round to go straight to understatement.... Johnny is a bit like that, he doesn’t catch subtlety even when it slaps him on the face" 

Jungwoo laughs, but the bitterness adds a bit of its nature to the sound. 

"I would like to give him another round tho" murmurs the youngest, almost as if he is saying it to himself. "But I don't know how to do that. I don't even know where did I took the courage from this first time" 

"It’s there, but usually it's the situation that leads you to tease boundaries" 

"So? I will know when the moment arrives, no? Sounds like a movie line" 

"Yeah, I know" agrees Taeyong, laughing. "But it works like that. Just kiss him this time, alright? Johnny can take dare" 

He hmms and nods, and next he pauses for a couple of minutes. Taeyong thinks he must be pondering about his circumstances, but then, the youngest friend speaks up again. 

"Taeyong, can I ask you something?" He says, still in a low voice. 

"Sure"

"Have you ever been in this place?"

"Which place? Having a thousand hickeys on my neck after a party?" He says with a funny chuckle. "I know you are vanilla, baby, but of course I have been there before"

"First off, I'm not vanilla, you are just a freak. And second, I didn't mean that"

"I'm not a freak"

"I meant... Johnny and you" Taeyong turns around and looks at Jungwoo, mouth opening wordless. "Has he ever...done it to you?" 

"Well, Jungwoo..." he says, scratching the back of his head. "It’s…" 

It's a delicate topic to discuss, something that has been under the carpet for a long time.

There are certain things that always have been undiscussed among the group of four friends. Taeyong doesn't exactly know why, maybe some things embarrass them collectively and so they push them under the rug to protect themselves and each other from them. Some others are just a groupal knowledge that reminds unspoken in favour to the silent and comfortable ignorance of awkward stuff. 

He knows Doyoung is aware of Johnny's useless yearning the same way he has been participating in Jungwoo's chase after the north american friend. 

He knows a lot of things that are silent truisms. 

They just never talked about it. 

Never. 

All people have secrets, ain't that true?

Everyone is a bit of a pretender from time to time, trying to act like their life is not as flawed as it could seem if we speak about every single thing that has been done. 

And he has been known almost forever that that one has been a mistake since the very beginning. 

"You said you know how to tell what Johnny's love looks like. Have you or not?" he insists, looking straight at him.

"Yeah. But it's not the same..." 

"So have you ever kissed Johnny?,"

"Technically... yes"

"Technically?"

"Okay" he admits, giving up. "I have kissed Johnny"

"Then why is it not the same?"

"Because I regretted it, Jungwoo. And I am sure you don't, right?"

The younger one puffs his cheeks and looks away, avoiding the vision of Taeyong looking at him in a paternalistic manner. 

"Right"

"I know, you think you want to be me" interrupts Taeyong, surprising the other as he really, trylly, opens the door of sincerity with a vehement and striking phrase like that. "But believe me when I say it's not like that"

"You don't even know"

"Really? If you want to know how it happened or what I did, it was one time years ago, we hadn't met you yet. We were at his apartment watching a movie, late at night. Doyoung was doing extra hours in his previous job because he was short of money. I was in the final exams season, lonely, stressed, needy. And Johnny… I don't know what crossed his mind, but it surely wasn't any better. He leaned on and I leaned further. We started making out like you could expect of two students watching a shitty movie by themselves in an empty apartment. And what I did later, Jungwoo?"

"I… don't know?" 

"I did nothing. Because one try was enough for me to see I feel weird whenever I do that with him. I don’t see him like that. At all. Not even when I needed someone to distract me"

Jungwoo stares at his blonde friend in silence, biting his lips. 

Taeyong knows that he is not mad at him, nor jealous. Well, maybe he is a little bit jealous, but Jungwoo is not a silly boy, naive and innocent to believe that there's not a story behind their friends. Even if he looks cute and gets flustered sometimes, Jungwoo is quite witty. 

"You know I like him, right?"

"Yeah" says Taeyong, softly, trying to have tact. "It kinda shows through you" 

Jungwoo nods, assimilating it, and Taeyong knows he understands his point.

"He doesn't seem to regret it either, he is just confused because he didn't expect himself taking that turn. Give him a margin of time and then go for it. Wear your own shirts. Don't be me" 

He smiles faintly, and then nods again, both of them with happy expressions. 

"You are right" 

"Yes, baby"

At this point, Taeyong has started fidgeting with the outfits that are accidentally buried in the depth of his closet, finding out his beautiful and semi-transparent black shirt with tiny white flowers embroidered on it. 

It was one of his college projects during the last year and it only had gotten a 75 out of 100, but he loves how he looks in it. 

He feels a bit sad that it's hard to wear such things to work, because he would like to flaunt his beauty on his clothing style more often, but the protocol makes him subdue the boldness of many outfits. He really needs to go out somewhere a bit more exciting to use those, but then he thinks that at some point he will. After all, Ten and him should start seeing each other outside of the atelier, right? 

Ten will ask him out at some point.

But what if he didn't? 

Taeyong is impatient, and especially inpatient when it comes to Ten, the man that inspires his wildest dreams, so he can't stop feeling anxious about whether the model is really interested in him or just playing around with him for the funsies. 

He shakes his head. 

He doesn't want to think too much about it just because Johnny told him he wasn't sure about their relationship, things are just starting out, he can't force it to go faster because then there's when it'll be spoiled. 

"So, being me… what should I do next?"

"You know? It's easy to see Johnny as the hearthrob with a hot body, but you, more than anyone else, know that he is far more than that. He is kind, sweet, clumsy, loves a few jokes… and is a nervous mess right now, just like you" 

“So… I can wait for the next chance and try to take it further then?”

“Sure! Grab that opportunity. If someday you want to be alone with him tell me. I will mess with Doie to leave you two alone”

“You are the best, Yong”

“I know”

“So what about you? You look flirty” 

Taeyong turns around, facing Jungwoo for a moment with the shirt still hanging on his hand. 

He smiles halfways, leaving the shirt on the closet again. 

Is he being that obvious?

“I have to look pretty if I want to find someone. Nothing for now”

“Just reserving yourself for the day Ten appears?” mocks Jungwoo, making Taeyong laugh more than he should have. 

“Something like that”

“Have you seen his post this morning or you’re still in your denial phase?” 

“Denial. What is it?” says Taeyong, way too interested in the update to say that his interest for Ten is somewhere near to die down. 

Shit, he only knows the way his body remembers how he touches him, giving him goosebumps when he least expects it. How he looks at him in those moments where Taeyong doesn't know better than to be a whining mess.

He leans over Jungwoo, as the boy puts the picture on the screen. 

It’s a pretty decent photo, nothing compared to the private kind of half nude picture that Ten has shared with him so far. 

He is posing casually in front of a nature filled background, wearing black loose pants and a beautiful black oversized shirt with cranes. The sleeves are unbuttoned at the cuffs, sleeves long enough so his hands hide inside them and only his fingers full of rings can be seen. 

A tiny smile pulls from Taeyong's lips. 

He is so goddamn beautiful.

Taeyong wonders what Ten is doing this Saturday. He hasn’t texted him in the morning, as he has done in the previous days, so he could be busy with schedules that consisted in being effortlessly pretty and make an impact with his presence. 

Maybe it’s Taeyong who should text first today. 

He bites his lips, pensive, but Jungwoo’s chuckle takes him out of his thoughts. 

The younger boy is staring at his friend, biting and smacking his lips as if he is ready to eat the model up. 

“Even if you keep denying it, it doesn’t change the fact that he turns you on”

“He makes me too many things, as a matter of fact” confesses Taeyong.

He is half ready to talk about it, because he needs to voice it and the only one that knows it’s Johnny, who's not an option to talk about Ten without him turning insufferable; but he knows he has to keep the secret for a bit longer. 

“I don’t know what it is, Jungwoo, he is very sexy but in a different sense. It’s just the way he moves and talks that has me all hot and bothered as soon as I see him. But he is really smart too and has an unique vibe that makes me want to… know him. Because I know that I don’t know him yet, I only see his surface, but I can’t take it”

“That’s a lot for someone you only see on the internet” comments the younger, liking the post that doesn’t carry a caption, anyways. 

“I know… it’s complicated” He concludes, biting his nail. 

It’s a lot. 

***

He thinks and thinks about what to send to Ten once Jungwoo has left his house. 

His mother isn't home either, she must have gone out to do some chores or something as the two friends talked about their stuff. 

He wants to send something cute to make Ten's day more lovely, but he needs something a little bit more interesting so he doesn't come out bland. 

He paces from side to side in his room, hesitating, but when he directs his attention to his disheveled bed, he has some kind of idea. 

He bites his lip playfully.

Can he?

Well, it is not like their conversations have been in a prude tone so far, so a little bit more of dare won't make a change unless it's to make it more heated. 

And that benefits Taeyong, so there's no loss on it.

He takes his shirt off, but not the pants because there’s no need to. He can trick Ten into imagining a word of wonder locked inside his room, it’s not a big deal, he has done this before.

He hugs his enormous pink bunny plushie that he had gotten from Doyoung on the fair one day, and wraps around it like in a sensuous backhug. 

He tries his best to make his lips look like sin, he knows boys love that from him and that he can make them even plumper than they are with a couple licks and a bite. Shiny, pink, parted… 

His hair is a bit messy, but it doesn’t really matter, because it gives a sloppy erotic vibe to his image. 

He sends the pic with a bit too much excitement.

[12:07] Babyboy💕: Good morning, Mister Lee. How is your day going so far? Eat well, okay? I give you dessert 💕

[12:18] Ten🔥: good morning, Lee Taeyong 

[12:18] Ten🔥: busy morning tbh I had a reunion with coordinators this morning and I have another reunion over lunch

[12:18] Ten🔥: aren't you grown up enough to be playing with plushies, anyway? 😏

[12:19] Ten🔥: don't hide behind them

[12:19] Babyboy💕: let me be, I like toys ~~~

[12:19] Babyboy💕: I have toys for grown ups too

[12:19] Babyboy💕: 😇😇😇

[12:19] Ten🔥: excuse me, Lee Taeyong, what was that? 

[12:19] Ten🔥: you are no angel

[12:20] Ten🔥: but boy do I like that

[12:21] Ten🔥: those lips are pure sin

[12:21] Ten🔥: and I have such a busy day to be thirsting over your pics 

[12:21] Ten🔥: so cruel of you

Taeyong’s rush of satisfaction is beyond normal. He knew he would like it, he is just trying to play it cool.

[12:22] Babyboy💕: u are no angel either

[12:22] Babyboy💕: so I know u deserve a little bit of teasing back no bb? 

[12:23] Ten🔥: Lee Taeyong don't make me beg 

[12:23] Ten🔥: I'm vengeful 

[12:24] Babyboy💕: fine

[12:24] Babyboy💕: so punish me then

[12:24] Babyboy💕: I learn in the bad way only 

[12:24] Babyboy💕: so suffer a little bit for me

[12:24] Babyboy💕: 💋

[12:24] Ten🔥: noted 

Taeyong gets all excited suddenly. 

Teasing Ten just as he does with him is so thrilling he couldn't have imagined, and that fires back making his desire of seeing him grow even more. 

But can he really ask him to go out somewhere? 

He said he has a busy day, so it's not fair if he starts bugging him a lot throughout the day, he is not so mean and not so bold. 

He sighs.

He guesses that's everything for the day, putting his shirt back on, in case his mother appeared at his home again. 

She is a good woman that wants Taeyong to find a nice girl that treats him well, but Taeyong has settled tastes that he doesn't want to rub in her face just to not upset her. 

As he dresses up again, a little notification pops up on his screen.

[ **Tenlee_1001** has followed you too] 

He smiles irremediably, thinking about the model keeping his promise. 

And then he smiles even bigger, thinking about him going through his very coordinated instagram feed, looking at his best photos lining up there to promote himself and his fashion after the teasing snack of his plushie selfie. 

Maybe Ten isn't that hard to read, after all. 

But suddenly Taeyong's train of thought derails because of the sound of the phone telling him about another follow, and another, and another, and another.... 

It has started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	7. Followback

The weekend has been calm so far. 

Ten didn’t text him after their small conversation on Saturday, so he really should have a packed weekend of appointments that Taeyong, honestly, didn’t dare to interrupt. 

Everytime the tailor picked up his phone with his brain itching and craving something from Ten, his mind formed a vision of the model in front of a dozen cameras, or a mirror or just another meeting for business collaborations and brand dealings. 

He didn’t want to be Ten's little, annoying bug pet that gets him tired after one fuck that didn’t even give him the time to undress, he definitely needed a view and taste of the whole thing, so he just kept it in the low for a change. 

Because Taeyong was impatient indeed, but his urge of having Ten finally in his hands is strong enough to make him pretend that he could be. 

Which is amusing, actually. 

Taeyong has found out that playing hard to get is something that tastes sweet on his tongue when Ten frowns at him or sends a petty answer all riddle up, so he can keep doing it happily for a bit longer. He feels strangely empowered when he pulls the other edge of the rope to see Ten’s tone drop and his eyes get dark with all the libido rising up. 

Deep down, the model seems to like the delay, anyways. It was him who got less from their last meeting too so Taeyong refrains from texting first once more.

By the other hand, Doyoung had texted the group of friends and announced that he had been having a rough week, so he wanted to go out for a while. 

Taeyong agreed quickly, as he also wanted to hang out with his friends and distract himself from Ten and his unknown whereabouts. He thought it was a good idea if he really wanted to play the game of detachment. 

Then, Jungwoo said he would go as well, and lastly, on a hesitant note, Johnny joined the plan. 

They ended up all together in a random barbeque restaurant. 

Taeyong had to fight really hard for the chuckle not to leave his throat when Johnny’s eyes dropped to the table, unable to show his face once that he had noticed that Jungwoo’s neon green sweater had a circle collar that couldn’t do anything hiding the brownish purple marks at both sides of his neck. They probably went a bit lower, as well, but those were silenced by the clothes. 

Jungwoo, anyways, wasn’t showing any sign of trying to conceal that fact, looking at his menu with all his interest to decide what he should be ordering that night.

In consequence, Doyoung looked at the blonde friend, a bit perplexed with the scene unraveling in front of him and asked in a discreet voice “What did I miss”. 

Taeyong had chuckled that time, owning a dreadful stare from behind Johnny’s menu, and simply answered “Do the maths”. 

“When?”

“Thursday night to Friday”

Doyoung let out a funny sound too, shaking his head. “Can’t be left unsupervised, none of them”

"I know right? Did Johnny tell you something?"

"Nah, he has been a bit off, now I know why. I thought he aimed on some random girly or something and she was giving him a struggle" 

"Not a girl, but the struggle is on"

Jungwoo kicked Taeyong under the table, making Doyoung crack and laugh with his toothy smile and Johnny almost spill his coke all over his own shirt with the rumble of the wood. 

The tallest was about to become the color of a ripe tomato. 

“Look at him, he is cracking like an eggshell”

“Has he been like that all these days?”

“Yeah” nodded Doyoung. “Did they do the do?”

“Jungwoo said they didn't, so I'll go with a no”

“Then why are they so tense?”

“You know Jungwoo’s whole ordeal” said Taeyong airly, as wanting to make his friend understand what he meant without saying it out loud. He knew that Doyoung wasn’t dumb, he could also see that there was something in the way the younger one looked at Johnny. 

“Yes, but shouldn't he be the nervous one? Not Johnny”

“Don’t ask me, he is holding a grudge against me so he doesn’t tell me”

“Really? What did you do?”

“Why do you think it was me who screwed up?” said Taeyong, indignation prying in his voice. 

“Because usually you are Johnny's personal diary room. Well, among all the other things you are”

“He is confused, I know that for sure. It's the most I ripped from him” explained Taeyong, not wanting to get deeper into the mess between him, Johnny and Ten. It was strange and the more he shared, the more it could come back to bite him. For the moment, he was still keeping it lowkey with the model, in the shadows. “He is having this whole ‘but we are friends’ phase with Jungwoo” 

“As expected. What does scare Johnny more than losing a friend?”

“He is not going to lose Jungwoo ”

“Yeah, try to explain that and get the idea through his thick skull” complained Doyoung. “You don’t live with him, there’s nothing that scares him out more than that”

“You tried?”

“Yeah, for reasons we both know, and I gave up long ago. It’s better to let him realize by himself, like when you put a new fish in a tank, he has to acclimatize” 

“Guess so”

Well, Taeyong sure hoped that everything went down that way and worked up well, falling in place as it should. 

Was it so much to ask for?

***

“Taeyong, son” says his mother with an unique expression in her face as soon as Taeyong crosses the door of the store early morning to start another week of work.

He tilts his head to greet his mother, taking off his jacket to leave it in the backroom and look decent for clients.

The morning turns are usually taken by senior women of high income requesting arrangements in their two pieces to attend business meetings or family dinners, so they always expect the best service hosted by people looking in the best condition. 

“Good morning. What’s wrong?”

“The phone has been ringing all day since I opened asking for special commissions from you. I told them you weren’t here yet and that you are the one that should decide if you are taking any additional work" his mother says smiling, naturally, she has always been supportive of what Taeyong wanted to study and how Taeyong wanted to be. But of course, she is intrigued by the explosion of sudden popularity. "What have you done?”

All at once.

The young tailor is not less impressed. 

He knows the reason for all that people discovering his instagram account, after Ten clicked the follow button he had gotten nothing less than one hundred  and twenty-seven followers more than he used to have , and the boosted up algorithm keep making new people arrive, but he wasn’t expecting such interest in his business from his instagram page. Of course, he keeps it professional, with his contact and perfect catalogue of custom stuff swimming in his posts, but oh damn, people contacting so quickly is an unusual kind of great. 

“Ten actually…" he stammers, trying to reply without making it sound bad. "Mister Lee has been around, and he grabs people’s attention”

His mother nods, vividly, piecing the information in her brain extremely pleased. 

“Ah, Mister Ten Lee, I know we had to give him the best treatment! When his PA called to ask about or disposition I really knew we had to take it yes or yes. I don’t know his work a lot, but he is a famous model so can we even let that publicity pass?”

“No, no one wants to let him pass by without paying mind” he says, ambiguous enough. 

“I guess so” says his mother, happy with the discovery and getting ready for the next client as Taeyong is tying his work belt by her side, both behind the counter. “He is coming back tomorrow” 

His hands bump slightly over each other, falling prey to surprise, but he plays it cool. 

“Yes?”

“Yes, Mark called earlier today too, the phone is firing. So I arranged everything well, take the morning orders today and finish Mister Lee's set in the evening so he can have another fitting before taking it home"

"Sure, can we do that? There's a lot of people trying to fix an appointment" 

"Mister Lee called first, so he has the priority. And his agency pays better" 

Taeyong laughs with that, knowing it's true that a famous model's request brings more zeros than simple fixes to businessmen and women suits.

"So haphazard, Mister Lee" 

"Yeah. And son…" calls his mother, making him look at her with attention due to the undecipherable and soft tone that takes over her voice. "If you want to take extra commissions, do it. They pay well and I know you like them more than this. There was a girl that wanted a blazer inspired mini dress to attend the Fashion Week schedules, she left her number, it’s on the book”

Taeyong is really beaming as he hears everything going on. 

From Ten coming back tomorrow and people finding his work interesting, everything in the sky seems so clear and nice. 

Can it get even better? Is there a chance for his day to shine brighter?

The vibration of his phone over the counter with the luminous preview on the screen may have some idea of how to enhance the possibilities. 

[10:06] Ten🔥: Good morning, Lee Taeyong. How is the prettiest boy of Seoul doing?

[10:06] Ten🔥: Still playful or willing to be lovely?

[10:06] Ten🔥: Cause I need some good behaviour for the idea I have in mind

He rushes to pick it up before anyone in the store, including his mother, can see the tense words that are being sent into his device. 

However, he doesn’t let them go unanswered. 

[10:06] Babyboy💕: Still playful, but try me 🥰 and I may behave 🥰

[10:07] Ten🔥: believe me, you want to behave this time

[10:07] Babyboy💕: what's this about then?

[10:07] Babyboy💕: u sound so sure about me enjoying it

[10:07] Babyboy💕: I like that

[10:07] Babyboy💕: tell me, u know how I am

[10:09] Ten🔥: impatient and greedy? 😂😂😂

[10:09] Ten🔥: I know right 

[10:09] Ten🔥: but how curious is life that I like that of you

[10:09] Babyboy💕: Mister Lee 

He knows that even in text form, his use of the polite name in such context has sounded like a clear protest. 

He guesses that that's what Ten was going for since the beginning. He admires the model's capacity to bend things at his favour, at the same time that he finds the quality very attractive. 

Well, Taeyong has a lot of willpower and useful skills day by day, but he may be a bit too spoiled as a son. He is used to be treated nicely and like a prince, so when someone puts that in risk he gets strangely excited. 

He has found out that the more playful and compliant you are, the better you get spoiled later. 

[10:09] Babyboy💕: I have a lot of work to do

[10:10] Babyboy💕: I have to make an important call and my first client of the day is going to arrive in a question of minutes 

[10:10] Babyboy💕: please tell me, I said I will be nice

[10:10] Ten🔥: you said you /might/ be nice 

[10:10] Ten🔥: my smart baby can tell the difference between both senses

[10:11] Ten🔥: because you're a smart boy am I wrong?

[10:11] Babyboy💕: yes i am

Agh. He can't really resist the neediness of being praised by him, that's not a lie. Ten discovering that weakness of his related to praising can be such a curse or such a blessing... right now it's inconvenient, but Taeyong suspects that it's going to turn around soon. 

The bell of the atelier rings with the arrival of who he supposes it's his first client today. He barely has time to type a final statement before she is in front of the counter, but there's no way he forgets to say it.

[10:12] Babyboy💕: because it's you I promise I'll be good

[10:12] Babyboy💕: on my best behaviour 

[10:12] Babyboy💕: please 

[10:12] Babyboy💕: tell me what u want

Taeyong itches inside his very own skin as he shows Mrs.Oh -according to the name he has checked on the database- the way to the dressing room to pay attention to her requests and sees the screen light up with the yellow katak square. 

Since it's a short sentence, he catches it before it's black again. 

[10:14] Ten🔥: if you let me, i want you

_ 'Be collected, Taeyong, be collected' _ .

That's what he tells himself as he gives time to Mrs.Oh to change her clothes privately and fights his raging need of answering to Ten straight away with his best behaviour indeed. 

He picks up the atelier's phone and the appointments agenda in the computer, searching for the number that his mother has noted for him, as she said. 

Miss Lee Harin, as it's written on the excel right besides a square that specifies her request.

Taeyong doesn't have to wait much until she picks up the call personally. 

"Good morning, this is Lee Harin"

"Good morning, I'm Lee Taeyong. Sorry for making you hold your commission earlier, my turn just started"

"Ah, I am glad you contacted me!" She exclaims, making a sound that appears pleased to the tailor. And way too enthusiastic. "Have my requests been passed to you?"

He is absolutely thrilled that someone can be so happy to hear him call back for business reasons. The truth is that he has been holding up for this kind of job for a long time. 

While he enjoys working with his mother in the store, he had always considered it a temporary fix of his bigger goal, and making some steps towards it makes him thrive. 

All just because of Ten… it seems funny to Taeyong that he is in that league now, but...it makes him a bit worried. 

A part of him has small doubts. Is it fair to get a job because he is giving the hots to some model? If he reflects about it, it's not like Ten has promised anything to him if he gets down to business, he is not selling himself for the job and this lady has found him herself and took interest. So, basicaly, it's not an exchange, just a side effect of their gradual approach. 

Connections happen in this world, certainly. 

"Yes, for sure. It sounds interesting and I may be willing to take the commission. Would you please elaborate on what you want for me?" 

His mind elevates one stadium as he tries to register his conversation with Harin and his phone at the counter top lights up again threatening his sanity in a split second.

[10:17] Ten🔥: I can't go in peace to the store and see you tomorrow touching me all over again if we don't have a talk before 

"... you think you can do that?" says Harin, in parallel, as she finishes explaining the outfit she has in mind. 

Taeyong has only taken in half of her explanation, but it's kind of enough.

"S-ure" he squeaks in a higher pitch, nervously trying to make it look like he didn't lose his mind to something else. 

However, it seems to work with her, who giggles at the other side of the line. 

"That's amazing. Can we talk about budget?"

"Yes, but not now" tries to explain Taeyong. Is not like dealing with models is hard for him, they are just people like everyone else, but his heart goes extremely fast now just because of one of them in particular. "It's going to take me some time to calculate it, but if you want, you can fix an appointment with me tomorrow and I'll get an approximate number ready. Yes?"

"It's a busy time for models, but I can find you a moment" she says, a bit slyly. 

Yeah, just what he needs, a woman trying to be playful with him. It kinda makes him laugh. 

"You say when"

"Tomorrow before lunch?"

And then, all shameless, the third kakaotalk box appears on his screen to call for literally all his attention and head space.

[10:19] Ten🔥: I need you for longer than half an hour, the list on my fridge is becoming longer at the time you play with me 

[10:19] Ten🔥: Give me tonight 

[10:19] Ten🔥: Would you?

Taeyong’s head hurts. 

He inhales air. 

Mrs.Oh is coming out from the dressing room giving him a gesture that indicates that she is ready to start the fixing process. 

"Tonight" he says, almost mindlessly. And then he immediately corrects himself in panic, noticing that he has said that for Lee Harin. "I mean, yes, tomorrow before lunch. Sorry, miss, I am very busy too and I have to hang up now. I'll give you the 13:30 appointment tomorrow, okay?"

He is sure she can hear his erratic typing on the keyboard of the atelier’s computer through the phone as he records her petition.

"Sure, I'll be there. Thank you!"

"Thanks to you, miss, we'll be waiting happily" 

He hangs up.

And despite having Mrs.Oh waiting for him, he can't stop himself from taking his cellphone to answer Ten before he goes insane and says something highly inappropriate to this business woman out of confusion. 

[10:20] Babyboy💕: You say when and where

"I'm sorry, Mrs.Oh, I am with you now. How busy Mondays are, you must know that, being a successful woman" he tries to flatter her to fix the time he has been wasting, almost pushing the ma'am with a polite arm behind her shoulders into the room, and leaving the phone behind and face down before he can see anything else from that cursed conversation with Ten Lee.

***

It's only when hours have passed and the lunch break kicks in his schedule when Taeyong has the chance and the guts to take his phone from where it was resting on the shelves under the counter. 

He still has to do some numbers for Lee Harin, but since his afternoon is going to be dedicated to the last touches of Ten's outfit, he is probably going to have time to do that later. Not to mention how nerve wracking would be to commit all evening to clothes for a person that he craves without checking what their plans together are. 

He starts munching on his sandwich, as he unlocks the screen, cursing the fact that he didn't choose to pick something else to eat in the morning. He has been all day up and down, doing this and that task and trying to clear some space in the crazy week they have ahead, so he is hungry for real, and to add some spice, his lower back is starting to ache. 

He really hopes the week goes smoothly and he can have free time on Saturday, because he is starting to feel drained. 

However, taking a look into his phone is a fresh wave of amusement. 

[12:54] Snoopy: anyone up for a movie tomorrow in my house?

[12:58] Doie: who is free on a Tuesday? 

[12:58] Doie: just you because you are the only college student!

[12:59] Snoopy: technically I am not a college student 

[12:59] Snoopy: it's unpaid internship 😫

[12:59] Snoopy: which means I have regular shifts like in a job but with less money

[12:59] Snoopy: 0 money actually

[12:59] Snoopy: summarising, it's hell on earth, that's why I need friends to hang out with!! 

[12:59] Snoopy: just come late and order pizza if you can't come earlier 

[13:00] Doie: I have the morning shift at the bakery this week 😪😪😪

[13:00] Doie: I can't stay up until late or I will be dead tomorrow 

[13:00] Snoopy: you work too much 

[13:03] Johnny: Jungwoo is concerned ~

[13:03] Johnny: when Jungwoo is concerned about lack of sleep hours it means that you actually work too much, Doyoung, let that sink in 🙃

[13:03] Johnny: 'cuz Jungwoo himself sleeps like trash

[13:03] Snoopy: i need someone to sleep with me and knock the healthy schedule on me

[13:26] Doie: what about Yong then? He is not even replying and no one tells him off

[13:27] Snoopy: don't tell him off he may like it lmfao 😂

[13:27] Johnny: TY works in an upright ass tailoring shop, a bride'd kick the phone out of his hands if he is not paying attention to the degree of their veil's tilt

[13:27] Johnny: so it's not the same 

[13:27] Johnny: he pays half of our bills so 🤫😂

[13:27] Johnny: you just plainly overwork 

[13:30] Snoopy: so what do you say johnny?

[13:30] Snoopy: free tomorrow or not?

[13:45] Doie: netflix and chill 😏😏

[13:45] Doie: HAHAHA

[13:49] Snoopy: shut up

[13:49] Snoopy: it's not like that 

He feels rushed to answer Ten's messages that he knows that are lining in their chatroom, but he can't help the chuckle he gets with Jungwoo and Johnny's little tangle. 

There's no way he misses the chance to stir some trouble and see how they land. 

And he has good news, anyway, so he can wait for a few minutes more. Just some minutes. Ten can enjoy his slow burn for a bit longer, with a hit of luck that will make him take Taeyong with extra urgency when he does.

When he finally really does, going beyond the little preview in his backseat. 

[14:16] TY: first off Doyoung the difference between u nd me is that when my shift ends I ve hobbies 

[14:16] TY: so ur indeed a work addict 

[14:16] TY: i agree with Jungwoo's concerns 💁♂️

[14:17] TY: go out man, breath fresh air 

[14:18] TY: and to Jungwoo's plan

[14:18] TY: dunno 

[14:18] TY: the week kicked off all wild 

[14:19] Snoopy: fashion week is like around the corner right? 

[14:21] Doie: how you know that 

[14:22] Snoopy: bcs of this man right here, ain't your Instagram explore always full of fashion stuff??

[14:23] Johnny: only yours because you thirst with models too and like their pics 😂😂

[14:23] TY: bla bla bla thanks for the interest

[14:23] TY: it's near, Jungwoo

[14:23] TY: and I have commission because of it 

[14:24] Doie: You butted in that picture!? 

[14:24] TY: seems like 🤩

[14:24] Doie: Congratulations Taeyong!!! It's always been a goal for you, right? 

[14:24] TY: yes tbh 

[14:24] TY: one day i will attend it

[14:24] TY: as a designer if possible 😳

[14:24] Doie: yeah better to get invited lmao I heard the tickets are extremely expensive 

[14:24] TY: right, the cheapest tickets are about $500 

[14:24] Doie: LMAO BYE 

Taeyong giggles, finishing his sandwich in a matter of minutes. He might be somewhat tired and still hungry, but the exhaustion of the day is the good kind of tiredness that makes you believe in the advances of your own goals. Moving towards something that you aspire to is always pleasant, and Taeyong has never been the type that likes to be idle all the time. Feeling that he has done something makes him cheerful. 

However, the epitome of perfection in the relationship field is also showing up his ears, lately. He has a name and surname, and has been texting Taeyong from the morning, asking to get the attention he is in need of. 

A little bit like Taeyong himself. 

[10:21] Ten🔥: what if I pick you up after you are done with work?

[10:21] Ten🔥: do you want to have dinner with me? I know there are really great places around the city to eat 

That's… not what Taeyong was expecting Ten to say when he first read the pettition for a night. At all. But there's this little drop of something that falls on his chest and spreads with a warm shockwave, slowly. 

Maybe he is too hungry to say no to food related plans or maybe he is just really happy to get that kind of courtesy from the model. 

Who knows?

His blood flows so cool, and wakes up his brain forgetting the most part of his fatigue.

From the counter, filling updates in their database, his mother can see, curious, how his smile grows of its own accord as he types an answer on his phone, not really trying to hide his good humor from the world.

How long has it passed since Taeyong was properly asked out for a propper date? 

Men nowadays are so careless of the little details. If it were for them, paying a cab and fucking in a dusty couch would count as effort to steal a pretty boy’s heart, which Taeyong had stepped off a long time ago. He may have some self-esteem crisis at times but he never stooped so low to devalue himself so much that he didn’t even demand decent attention from someone to get him to bed. 

Some may call Taeyong snotty, maybe even moody or petulant, but he would stay in his lane and never bellow it. Jeez, he has some class. After all, he had never asked for the slickest hotels or fancy sheets, but a bit of interest that passed the bare minimum of dedication and some decency is fair. 

Right?

Or is he really taking it too far in his imagination, like Johnny said? 

It wouldn’t be convenient to hear wedding bells already, he knows Ten is just being a decent human being, but that doesn’t mean that the model is going to take things any more seriously than before. 

Taeyong tells himself he is aware of that. 

Okay, maybe it sounds weird coming from him, who has liked all his past instagram pictures and read his statements in magazines. 

He knows a background like that, mixed with the fact that Ten’s physique makes his throat feel like he has been in the desert for days, makes it easy to be described as obsessed, but he knows he just finds Ten interesting and didn’t have another way to get to know him.

Until now. 

[14:25] Babyboy💕: dinner? yeah, sounds good

[14:25] Babyboy💕: and i am super hungry

[14:25] Babyboy💕: ngl 

[14:25] Ten🔥: so you are in?

[14:25] Babyboy 💕: of course i'm in, i would love that  **🥺🥺**

[14:25] Ten🔥: gotta love when you are excited 😂😂

[14:25] Ten🔥: so when it’s your shift over? 

[14:25] Babyboy 💕: 8pm 

[14:25] Ten🔥: then i’ll see you at 8, okay?

[14:25] Ten🔥: i'll pick you up 

[14:25] Babyboy 💕: can’t wait

Taeyong is being honest when he sends that last sentence. Maybe it’s too much and he is rushing, but at that point of the day he is just starting to feel bewitched by the events, and he is waving goodbye to his coherence. 

Something makes him suspect, nonetheless, that maybe being hasty with people is not always bad. Maybe he can bump into another person that wants to make tracks in the same way. 

[14:25] Ten🔥: you tell me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	8. Gasoline and a match

Luckily, the last fixes on Ten’s costume didn’t take him long, just as he calculated, so he still had time to put down a first draft of Harin’s dress, some samples of possible materials to use and a few estimated prices for the order that, let’s mention it, made a great number to add to Taeyong’s bank account with full commission. 

When he had done all of that, he looked at the clock with that sparkle in his eyes that he couldn’t keep down, together with his jumpines. 

He had told his mother that he would be having dinner out for today, and she barely questioned it further than the warnings that came from her preoccupation with his son wilding on a weekday lost in the city. She had shrugged after Taeyong promised to go back home at a decent hour to not miss the working shift nor come late again, assuming that his youngest child wanted to celebrate his new commission with his friends. 

Kinda.

Taeyong hopes to celebrate. Even if it’s just a bit. 

That’s what gets him all smirky in front of the full body mirror of the fitting room, fixing his own clothes over himself with an intriguing determination. He can't do much with the sweater he is wearing since he went out this morning, but he tries to his best tailoring abilities. 

It’s a simple white sweater, classy, with a bee embroidered on the chest and a V neck that didn’t fall too low. 

He tucks it inside his jeans carefully, fixing the ruffles and trying to decide whether his butt looks nice enough on those pants or if he should let the woolen top fall over it.

It would pass. 

He checks the hour on his phone, ignoring Jungwoo’s text asking where he is going once he announces he is going to be too busy to go to his house to watch a movie and eat pizza. 

It’s just eight pm o’clock, but he can’t pretend and make it look like he doesn’t want to run to the next section of his day, so he leaves the store as soon as the clock ticks one minute into eight, and walk down the street, just a few meters so his mother doesn’t see anything weird from the front window when the black car arrives to take him in. 

Ten doesn’t make him wait a lot, for a change. His car freaking glows in the night of Seoul, so polished that all the streetlights make a splash of colors reflect on the surface. 

This time, the model doesn’t even have to open the tinted windows for Taeyong to know it’s him, there is no one else that would stop in front of Taeyong with such a car model. 

He opens the door with resolve and sits on the passenger seat, almost choking on the way. 

His eyes have just caught the first glimpse of Ten in all day and he already feels underdressed by his side. 

He is wearing sky blue slacks, paired with a blazer in the same color and thrown over a plain white t-shirt. His hair is slightly styled, almost lazily, in an effortless curl that frees his forehead and clears up his perfect, smooth face. 

The click of the belt when Taeyong fastens it doesn’t make him feel any reassurance regarding his threatened heart.

“Lee Taeyong, good evening” 

Ah yeah, he sounds sharp and velvety at the same time, Taeyong almost forgot that Ten has weapons all over his person. 

He knows he is not going to find something witty to reply, so he puts the hand straight into the fire. 

“You look amazing”

The smirk gets to Ten’s face easily, paying attention to the road as he joins the traffic again, setting out course towards somewhere Taeyong is not aware of. He doesn’t say a word against that, letting the model pick up a place to show him. 

There's a low thread of music playing inside the car, not too loud, with a RnB kind of sound, all gentle and… enticing. It makes Taeyong skin shiver with a tiny sprout of excitement, so keenly falling into the mood once his defenses have been lowered in front of his companion a fter he has been so lost in his own mind all evening, making up scenarios for the night ahead that only made him more and more nervous.

At the end of the day, everything it’s much easier and natural than we think beforehand when we are idle. At least with Ten, the mood flows naturally, and Taeyong doesn’t really feel like he has the need to think much about his actions, nor being judged. Maybe it’s because Ten radiates an unbelievable feeling of open-mindedness that makes the older one able to breathe within his anxious shell of a man. Even when his hands had been shaking like pudding in their first meeting, Ten never gave him a frown, not even once. 

Intrigued, Taeyong takes a look at the luminous screen of what seems to be a fancy and modern music player inserted in the car's dashboard, to see what is the melody he is hearing. 

His cheeks feel a bit warmer with the song title, as it reads ‘Soft Porn’. 

“Do I?” answers Ten, without missing a bit. 

In addition, his finger moves to the touch screen of the music player and raises the volume enough for Taeyong to comprehend he has been caught in his curious act. 

The date is definitely starting off strong, but he is laid back. 

Taeyong is a bit short in his english yet, but he can tell the lyrics that are being sung are sadder than the name of the song may suggest and it's not all lust.

Is not like he doesn’t want it that way, either. 

He licks his bottom lip as he looks at the model, trying to think of an answer. For a moment, everything is in a hush except from the jazzy beat of the tune. 

Ten looks like a TV drama’s character with the lights of the street against his perfect profile, and Taeyong’s eyes can’t find shame when they start dropping lower, on his neck and collar. 

He almost can see the invisible trace of the love bite he had wanted to give him the last time they saw each other in that car, but he hates that he had to be stopped from it.

“Yeah” 

Ten’s smirk seems to tilt even more, but Taeyong himself can tell why. His own tone, as he answered, had come out so husky that it’s impossible to ignore what he means with the accident. It’s been the kind of answer you hear in a movie’s tense moment before the spark cracks. 

“Look at who’s talking”

Taeyong coughs, clearing his throat as he doesn’t know what else to do to make Ten stop. In general. 

“So where are we heading to?”

“Oh yeah, sorry. There’s a good restaurant I like in Gangnam, so I thought you may like it, but if you want to say somewhere else it’s fine by me”

“No, just asking,” says Taeyong earnestly. “I am good with whatever, I’m not really picky with my food, and I told you I will be in the best of my behaviour, right? So whatever you say”

“That’s a good boy right there” he jokes, lightly. "But I am open to suggestions" 

“You are picking me up in your fancy car, taking me out, looking like you are in your working model hours… being good is the smartest thing I can do” 

“Sounds like you want something. I may be spoiling you with all of this”

Taeyong lets out a sonorous guffaw this time, sounding as sarcastic as he can be. 

“I wish you were spoiling me”. The pout that goes together with his reply looks absolutely melting and pure, so much that it seems untrue that with the same mouth, he is talking about that topic. “But all you do is tease me and frustrate me. You must be having a nice time playing around with me” 

“What do you want me to do to you? Tell me, Lee Taeyong” he asks, so naturally that Taeyong’s jaw falls open a little, not really knowing how to answer without stammering. “Seems like you are teasing your fate. If you say I can’t touch you while you are at work but then you try to drag me to cross the line, how should I read your words? Playing the good kid that doesn’t misbehave at home but being a little undercover devil that wants to drag me to break the rules on your behalf is a little bit messed up”. 

Taeyong knows Ten is being light-hearted about his accusations, that he is really picking up on him to set him off, but his dark words make him tremble from his head to his heels. 

For goodness sake, how can he make him so horny with so little effort?

“I don’t do that” he says, trying to defend himself.

“Debatable” 

“I don’t!” he protests, in full voice now. There he is, falling in the perfect trap again. “I’m just saying that… that you…”

“That I don’t treat you well?”

“No!”

“That you want more?”

“Ye-” he stops. Ten has stopped on a crosswalk because the traffic light is red, using the chance to look at Taeyong in the eye, blackness piercing through him, all amused as the tailor lets go of the answer too fast. He inhales, running through Ten’s perfectly lined eyes with his glance. “Yes” 

“So as I said, impatient and greedy” states the model with a chuckle, turning back to the road as he resumes the way through Seoul. “I, once more, was right” 

“You see? That’s what you do”

“I can stop if you tell me to” he offers, bluntly. Taeyong gets shocked, but of course, he doesn’t want to say the answer out loud, out of pure bashfulness. His eyes deviate from the model and run away to stare at the street outside. “I just try to be compliant with what you asked me. Not at work”

Taeyong is mildly annoyed, but not too much. 

He giggles under his breath, soundless, settling in a comfortable silence between the two men. 

“I guess I got this for myself”

The night seems warm enough to not wear a coat, but it’s not too hot yet to find it inconvenient. The cars come and go in thousands across the city, going back home with their families or maybe taking off to start a thrilling trip to another place. 

All the people out there move fast and in immense hustle, but Taeyong’s mind has found a scale of relaxation, nested in the leather seat of the car with a new track filling his ears to the rhythm of the model’s fingers tapping the same beat on the wheel. 

He takes a look at the music player again, feeling genuinely interested by Ten’s music taste rolling all over the place as if the songs are teaching him secret things about the younger one but through the senses instead of through the brain. 

‘None of your concern’ 

The tempo is slow and dazzling, the waves of sound fill his mind in a weightless way, and he is not nervous anymore. Taeyong even forgets that he has been worrying about making things awkward in what could be considered as their first... date.

Out of his control, his body is crossed by a chill that tells him about a wish, buried very deep inside him. There’s something in Ten that makes him shudder and shake with the desire to be touched with just a lingering caress. 

Hardly at all but still a bit, he jolts when Ten’s hand actually settles upon his leg with the most liquid of the strokes he has ever received, roaming on his thigh without a drawn line, going in towards the inner part of his leg where his fingers lace with Taeyong’s own hand that had been resting there, out of job. 

Taeyong’s eyes can’t be torn apart from the fair hand softly caressing the lines of his palm. 

The feel it’s delicate and soft, but Ten has something on his elegant fingers that break the innocence of the shape and kind of make Taeyong scared of not being able to shake off the addictive feeling of fantasy dripping realness.

He is starting to feel electrified to the bones. 

“Does it bother you?”

For a moment, Ten’s question enters through one ear and passes out through the other, since Taeyong’s brain is switched off and his body is soaring meters above the car, making it difficult to understand what the model is talking about without even taking his eyes away from the traffic ahead of them. 

He guesses that what he is feeling right now, knotting in his throat, is what people call chemistry. Perhaps just temptation, since he is also left with a strong wish of being alone with Ten in a dark dormitory all night. 

“No” 

That’s not the only thing he finds himself giving out as a reply, because his fingers do close tighter as they lace with Ten’s. 

He is no longer trying to be indifferent, it has no point depriving himself from enjoying what he is being given. 

“Taeyong… what about the other day? Did it bother you?”

“N-nothing you have done has bothered me” he confesses. Ten is still paying attention to the road ahead, where he has seemed to abandon the main streets to wander in some other streets with a more humble space for transit but Taeyong is not looking at the young people that feel alive outside, in the sidewalks, unaware of their bubble of intimacy inside the tinted windows and the sizzling song lulling the air, whatever the title is this time. "Besides you being a handful and a bit annoying to deal with, nothing has bothered me" 

“What about kissing you?” 

Taeyong is surprised that Ten asks that with that gentle tone, as if he genuinely needs Taeyong to answer to know. 

As if kissing him is the strongest thing he has done to him. Although it may have been, if looking from a specific angle, but Taeyong doesn’t want to think about it. 

“The hardest the better” Finally Ten gives him that smug titter of his that breaks the tension.

“Should I have expected anything else to come out of your pretty mouth, Lee Taeyong?” 

The tailor laughs too, being able to look at his surroundings once and for all. 

He checks the music once more, just so he can get a deeper glimpse of that chilling trance that surrounds the model, picking up the words ‘I put a spell on you’. 

The car seems to be slowing down enough for Ten to notice empty parking spots, so he guesses they have arrived near the restaurant they should be having dinner at. 

Taeyong recognizes the style of the streets, telling easily that they are in Itaewon. It’s not a surprise, there are plenty of restaurants located there, and a good part of them compete to get the spot as the best restaurant in Seoul. 

Well, Taeyong is already feeling that the dinner is going to lift a weight in his pocket. 

And it's not less of a knowledge that the bill is going to be high when he follows Ten in a quiet form of short stroll to the restaurant. 

From the outside, it looks like any other place could, with white walls and a big panel with the name; but looking through the big glass doors and crossing them towards the inside, the appearance is clearly fancy. 

Anyways, he feels like he doesn't care too much about the price, it's only one time and he has some money to spare. In fact, his mother always tells him that the best expended money is the one you use to be fed, so he is embracing the situation. 

The aroma of food reaching him makes it easy, since he is still hungry as hell, and the remaining tingly feeling of the car ride mixes up with the warm tone of the restaurant. 

They stop in front of the check-in stand, waiting for one of those dolled up waiters to assist them and give them a table.

Taeyong is looking around with curiosity, watching how dim the lights are and how even the chatter of people is mild. By the ambience and the couples that are sitting on the tables, he can tell that he has been taken to the kind of place where you don't get a table out of casualty when you find yourself hungry. It's not just any regular restaurant, it's too splendid-looking for that. 

Well, he needs to take a photo here for his instagram at some point. 

For the traditional looking decorations, the way exotic flowers are arranged and the shape of the artworks that are hung on the walls he is quite sure that it's a thai restaurant.

It's understandable, he knows Ten's motherland it's Thailand, he has read it somewhere before.

He finds the detail kind of sweet of him, he must be nostalgic from time to time. Taeyong can't think about spending so much time without even visiting his mom and eating her food, so perhaps Ten has that kind of need sometimes too. 

The minutes pass as they wait, and he fidgets, adjusting the fit of his sweater and taking out his little jar of vaseline to apply another coat to his naturally pink lips. 

Taeyong must be looking a bit excitable in excess, judging by the look that Ten gives him. 

His small lips are beautifully curling up in a smile, and his eyes are shining curiously. "What happens?"

"You picked me up after my shift, so I came with the clothes I was wearing for work this morning. I feel very underdressed for this place" 

Ten's chuckle sounds sticky and sensual for him, as his arm gently reaches out with an elegant move to wrap around Taeyong's waist, pulling him closer to him. 

"What are you saying?" He asks amused, talking on his ear due to the almost perfect equality of their height. His hand is light, stroking down from his hips and below until it’s over the rear pocket. "Have you seen this ass?" 

"Could look better"

"Agree. Without pants, but it wouldn’t be appropriate". Taeyong shyly smiles, snuggling against the model's chest a little. He doesn't really know why, he guesses he just really craves the touch, and Ten opening the door of praises makes him specially keen. "I bet it's going to look perfect when I fu-"

"Gentlemen" cut the maitre d', finally coming behind the stand to take their petition. 

Ten looks at him, but his hand doesn't leave the spot it's in, making Taeyong slightly bashful when he watches the man stare at them for a second, probably wondering what are two men up to so shamelessly in the middle of a hall. But Taeyong enjoys that gush of shyness Ten puts him under, it's a pleasant kind of shyness where he feels flattered. 

Well, since he is a professional server, the waiter won't say anything about their personal business anyway. 

Ten greets him with a nod. "Would you have a table for two?" 

"Yes, sir. Might you follow me to your seats" 

The waiter moves inside the dining room, and both of them follow him up to a small but pretty table with a cute lamp that emits orange light, where they sit comfortably in front of a layout of fine glasses, unpolluted white napkins and fancy plates with a lovely golden pattern on the borders. 

"This design is so cute and fancy" he points out, just because he can’t switch off his designer’s side. "It would look great in a textile"

"Collecting ideas?"

"My brain is always on for creativity" 

"I can tell" offers Ten with a smile. "I don't blame you"

Taeyong can hear his own stomach growl when the man hands the menus to them. 

He serves water on one of their glasses and goes away to let them think about their order, which Taeyong doesn't really know how to front. 

He clears his throat, as if he is trying to look slightly more interesting reading the names of dishes he has never tried and which prices tend to a funny extravagance. 

"What is good here?" 

Ten catches the nuance of his question fast.

"You never had thai food?" 

Taeyong revolves on his seat, biting the tip of his nail to ease the sudden rush of embarrassment, grateful that he is half hidden behind the menu as he is caught right on the fly. 

Still, Ten is not really judging him and staring at him with a disgusted look, just asking out of curiosity, probably.

"Not really"

Ten's finger hooks on the menu Taeyong is holding, pulling it down flat on the table and wrecking the paper wall between them. 

"What do you like? Fish, meat…?" 

Taeyong shooks his head slightly. 

"I don't mind, as I said, I'm not picky with food. You are thai, aren't you? What do you recommend?" 

"I see you have read my wikipedia page well" 

"You have a wikipedia page?"

They both break into laughter, as Ten shakes his head in denial.

"Not yet, maybe someday. But anyways, yes, I'm thai. How do you know that?" 

"I read it somewhere. I'm korean, though" adds the older one with a humorous note of the obvious. 

"Who would have tell, Lee Taeyong?" he laughs, highlighting his very korean name. He has his chin tucked on his hand, resting there with his calm, gentle vibe as he jokes with the tailor and then returns his attention to the menu, finger pointing to a line with an unknown plate name for Taeyong. "I really like som tum, it's like a spicy salad made with papaya. And… I don't know, but people usually say that something that foreigners like from thai cuisine is tom yum goong, it's a spicy soup with shrimps"

"Okay, then I'll have that"

Ten's eyebrow rises in question form, not leaving the smile behind. 

"Without second guesses? I am not a culinary expert, I tell you" 

"My best behaviour, I promised" 

"Ah, because of that. I am surprised for the good with it, you are too adorable" he comments, making Taeyong feel that subtle touch of neediness that he picks back up from the car ride again, after the initial moment of soft panic as they arrived in a luxurious restaurant out of his reach. "Though I find your devilish strokes amusing, I wonder where's the blurry line between both your sides, and I bet I can have a lot of fun trying to find out" 

Taeyong is certainly grateful for being interrupted by the waiter again as he comes back to take their order because the heat of his face indicates that he is not thinking straight and his most probable answer to Ten's tempting statement would only be a request that doesn't fit the place they are in. 

However, the model is swift ordering whatever dishes they have agreed to eat, with the addition of a couple of starters and something else that sounds like wine to Taeyong. 

Oh gosh, alcohol… that can be a good idea or a terrible one. 

His tolerance to alcoholic drinks is laughably low and makes his head light easily, but if thinking about the situation, he is already acting out of the lines of coherence, so some sips of wine would probably just help to get him loose in a healthy way. Just a bit so he doesn't feel like hiding behind the menu again. 

The waiter returns with the bottle in a question of seconds, uncorking it with a routine that’s almost ritualistic, putting in evidence that the  restaurant is not just any roadhouse to stop by. He pours some ounces into each of their  large-bowled glasses  with an elegant movement, so he can taste it right away, taking the cup as soon as the man has left the table and sipping tentatively. 

It's not bad, the red color is so light and clear that it's almost pink, and the taste against his lips is very sweet. 

"So…" he starts, trying to say something good enough to not look like a flower pot more on the table. "Why did you take me here? I mean, why take me out?"

Ten has his lips to the glass of the cup too, pressing them wet against the transparent surface that makes Taeyong think about biting them until they get red again, like he has discovered they do when they kiss roughly. It's just a short sip, and then he puts the drink down to answer. 

"Well, as I said, tomorrow I have to see you, and you can imagine why having you touching me, making me turn, pulling from my clothes and crunching in front of me makes it hard to see you like my tailor anymore. When I'm in front of you, I just feel like I can't be that upright, don't know why," he confesses without beating around the bush too much, "I've got to redeem myself before we make a scene, right?" 

"It would be a scene, yeah" admits Taeyong, briefly recalling in his mind what it could look like. It’s tempting… too much, but he still has a sense of responsibility. "Maybe if it was my business I would let it pass, maybe not because I will take it seriously too…”

“I understand. I won’t ask you to harm your career for the heat of the moment”

“But it’s more than that. My boss is also my mother, and I wouldn’t like to disappoint her if something goes out of hand. Besides, you should hear the way she talks about you” chuckles Taeyong, “She is really proud and happy that you chose to work with us” 

“Seriously?”

“Yeah”

“Are you?” asks Ten, with his feline eyes pointing at him. 

“Uh?”

“Are you happy that I decided you were a good idea?”

“Well, I do have to thank you” says Taeyong, biting the bullet of thanking him out loud. He wants to do it anyway, if he demands boys that are decent to him before fucking, he might also be a nice person for them, it’s only fair that way. The model’s eyes, though, don’t look as feline anymore, rounding a bit to a milder side. He makes Taeyong be really confused about the things he awakens inside of him with his double sided color scheme. “Since you followed me back on Instagram people really checked me out, and you have a large amount of followers that are interested in fashion, so it’s like free publicity”

“Well, I only pressed a button, the portfolio was your effort”

“You won’t believe, the store’s phone has been ringing all day to ask for me, my disponibility, and I’m… really happy of taking personal designs requests, for real”

“Oh, that’s great. Congratulations. You told me before, that you like to do creative work, so it must be stimulating” 

Ten sips a bit more of wine from his cup, but Taeyong doesn’t really need it to feel the inebriation, since Ten remembering that tiny, loose detail about him makes his heart skip a beat. 

How silly is that?

“Yeah” he says, verging in a softer tone that he shouldn’t be using with him, probably, because that’s not what they are supposed to be about. Well, they didn’t state what the boundaries are, anyways, it’s too easy to go skipping upon the barriers of a spectrum. He can’t really help it. “When I was a kid, I think… I repressed myself a lot because of how people around me have always seen me. I am someone that usually has gotten confused with people's intentions and has been hurt by it. I think I may sound sad, but I still have some habits with letting things out of me, and working with my creativity and showing moods through patterns, colors, shapes… makes me feel much more free. I really want to make it my lifestyle” 

Now that is what he calls stepping out of everything. If he had crossed a line, better do it well than staying one centimeter past it lamenting the mistake. 

“That’s wonderful then, Taeyong, really” 

The past days have passed like a speeded-up set of movie frames on a projector, but the time slows down for a second and almost freezes so Taeyong can see Ten show that minuscule fragment of ingenuity crack like a spark. 

The plates come in the scene, pushed on the table by the waiter that politely places their orders in front of two quiet men looking at each other as if the rest of the restaurant is meaningless. 

Taeyong’s stomach growls too loud with the scent of handmade food in front of him to not make Ten laugh about it. 

The model gestures to the dishes. 

“Hope you like the final choice”

The older is not really hesitant about it, making the spoon dive on the soup and taking a big bite of everything that’s on his side of the table. 

The taste of his soup is actually very good, flavory and pleasant. The mix of spicy and sour is unique and foreign to Taeyong, that is used to try other kinds of plate, but it’s not bad at all, it just feels like a different style that’s also worthy to be known by him. 

After all, Taeyong has learned that in life, almost everything can come in a wide range of variations. And he is just trying to know them all to see which ones he likes the most. 

Sticking to something plain inside his comfort zone is just boring. 

There’s also a set of crispy chicken and potato samosas, some super spiced meatballs with a bunch of fresh colored vegetable toppings and even a couple of fancy looking satay skewers served in a large, golden plate with a shiny glaze of sauce poured on top and a rice bowl.

“God, I’m sorry, I was so hungry since this morning, I only had a sandwich today” he mumbles through a spoonful of rice when he notices that he has been quiet for several minutes and that Ten is attentive of his mindless way of consuming food while he eats his salad leisurely. 

The model shakes his head, deemphasizing the need of an apology.

“Please yourself, I don’t mind” 

“This is really good, by the way. What do you call it again?”

“Tom yum goong” he says with a giggle, probably knowing that Taeyong is going to forget the name a couple of times more before letting it sit in his mind permanently. “Do you want to try mine?” 

If any, the offering is very inviting, and Taeyong doesn’t really see the problem with it. 

“If you don’t mind”

“I don’t” 

The model picks a little bit of everything in his plate to mix it in his fork, taking it up to give it to Taeyong. 

He looks at the food stuck in the fork, then to Ten’s eyes and finally back to the fork, understanding that there has to be a certain gesture for the whole thing to work. 

Ten’s sneer doesn't help. 

“Don’t be shy, I have more in the plate”

Taeyong yields, opening his mouth pliantly for Ten, who smiles beyond content, if Taeyong has to guess by the expression, and puts the food in so he can bite it and taste it. 

He opts for pretending he doesn’t understand Ten’s attentive eyes on his lips responding to his vagaries because he seems to always be the one getting hard first whilst Ten has been undefeated in that field so far. 

Actually, he finds Ten’s resistance in front of his attacks enticing, but it also gets on his nerves, making him wonder what he needs to do to bother Ten as much as it goes the other way. 

“That’s the most strong flavoured vegetable plate I have ever had” he says earnestly, making Ten laugh and nod with a huge smile in his face that almost makes Taeyong forget that he is the man that makes him mad hot.

It seems untrue, but when he is not being a handful, Ten looks remarkably cute.

“My favorite one”

“You have a good taste”

“I clearly do” he says with a wince. 

There he is again, like a rollercoaster.

However, Taeyong can’t pretend he doesn’t like the side input or that it’s not what he expects from all that dinner to turn into. 

He tastes his own lip balm when he smacks his lips once more, almost as if Ten’s peach flavour still has a shadow on them. 

“But Ten, there’s something I don’t understand”

“Tell me”

“Why do you need me in my best behaviour for this? Do I need to earn dessert?” 

“How clever, Lee Taeyong” he responds only, implying that he has bumped into the actual reason for his words earlier. "Let's say that's the case" 

“And I am winning?”

“What do you think?” he asks playful, finishing the last pieces of his skewer. 

“I am honestly scared to know” he admits, taking the darkness into Ten’s eyes again with the simple pout of his lips and the way his voice picks a particular tone from it. 

If he has to admit what his mental frame is at the moment, he could only say that he has doubts about his very own manners after telling Ten that he was playing with him, that he wants more and being told that he is a little devil. Twice. Because if the answer is that he’s not winning, he may really want to see how it feels to lose, in Ten’s terms. 

“How come?” 

“What’s supposed to happen with me if I’m not in the best behaviour?” he asks. 

In his eyes, Ten can see how the true neediness pools, awaiting for him to strike the eldest with an incorrigible answer to blow his mind. 

They are obliged to make a pause, as the waiter slips between them to take their empty plates away, but their gazes don’t give up on each other, like having a silent conversation about how Taeyong’s eyes get bigger under the pressure and how his pupils widen in a prayer form to be spoilt, no matter how naughty he is. 

“Gentlemen, would you like to have the dessert list?” asks the waiter, playing his role.

Taeyong looks at him, and then back at Ten, knowing well that he is the one who’s going to have the leading voice in that decision. 

The balck haired one waves his hand away. "No, thank you, just bring us the check when you can, please" 

The waiter doesn't question the decision, nor the strange set of circumstances that seem to be going on between Ten and Taeyong immersed in the silence, going to his stand to get the bill ready.

"Grounded without dessert?" Asks Taeyong with a smirk, hearing the gradual change in his own voice as he takes steps forward to him, building up his bravery by the act of risking it all. "It's that all you have to rebuke me?" 

"You don't learn, right?" Hearing this he could feel his dick react because of the way Ten speaks. He is so gorgeous and the fall of his lids so sexy that he can't keep his eyes away from him. Ten's gaze travels over him, from his head to his toes, and back again. "What's the policy, Lee Taeyong, you tell me. Unless you have forgotten it, but I don't think so, because I did my best to make it clear" 

"... no touching" He kind of mumbles as his stomach tightens. 

"Exactly"

"But…"

"Ah-ah," interrupts Ten. He looks genuinely amused as he goes. "When you are good, there's dessert, but when you aren't… I don't think you deserve to be allowed to break the policy" 

"But I'm hungry"

"Oh don't worry, we are about to fix that. But remember what I just said"

"What about the bill, we should split the payment…" 

Ten lets out a snide jitter, getting up from the table and offering his hand to Taeyong, who laces his bony fingers with him. His mouth is slightly dry from the arousal that's slowly building inside his pants. He wishes he could avoid that, bearing in mind that they haven’t even started, but he really can’t help the easy excitement he gets from the model. It’s not rational. 

"The dinner is on me" he croons, lacing an arm around his waist and taking him close to his chest to kiss his cheek, almost tenderly. Almost. "And so is the dessert"

The waiter, although he has stopped in front of them, speechless, and it's looking at them in a perplexed manner that is growing more and more confused as he watches their act, goes to them with the final price noted at the end of the ticket with a neat calligraphy. 

"Gentlemen,..."

Taeyong takes the wallet and his credit card out, not really listening to Ten at the first try, but apparently he is already sentenced for a lousy behaviour tonight, so he tenses the goddamn string even more. 

"Once again, I should pay something" 

“Don’t bother”

“Yes” he tries, but Ten quite literally shoves his card on the plate and states something in thai to the waiter that sounds adamant to Taeyong’s ear even though he doesn’t speak a word of the language.

It makes Taeyong blood get even hotter. 

He feels needy, warmed up by his proximity and pleasantly teased with the night so far. 

Because he is still leaning on the model's chest with one of his arms resting on his hips, he knows Ten can grasp the situation inside his pants due to the proximity. 

He can't say he is being easy, Ten has done everything to provoke it. 

The flare of his lust moves up, and he is about to lean on Ten's lip regardless of the way they are still standing in the middle of the dining room, but Ten's card emits a emphatic beep as it gets accepted for payment, and so he takes it back and pushes Taeyong with him by his hand. 

It's the moment that he follow him and he perceives his heart going up to his throat with childish giggle that he feels like the luxury lover in a movie when he understands that Ten's not only the hot model that he admires, but a full time model with success that must have a tub full of green. 

He picked him up in his expensive car, took him to a romantic restaurant, paid the entire dinner and now it's pushing him into the bathroom without little to zero shame to show him how mischief transforms into his sex. 

If that ain't the hottest thing to ever happen to Taeyong, he really can't think how to get there. 

“What have you told him?”

A short titer. 

He gets pushed on the first wall that comes across them in one of the male toilets, feeling Ten's mouth crush onto him like a shaking thunder, but he lets him in, parting his soft lips under his incessant kiss. 

Of course, the toilet is not what someone average may think of a restroom in a restaurant, but a proper cubicle with precious walls painted on salmon pink, spacious, clean and perfectly decorated with a clear mirror and fancy furniture. It probably looks fancier than many houses' bathrooms, but Taeyong doesn't have interest in thinking hard about that point as he is currently wrapping his arms around Ten's neck and burying his fingers on his black and blonde hair. 

He is not sure of how things are going to be, but he is so deeply sure that he wants it. All the surprises Ten can give to him, he wants to collect them and be the annoying, spoiled lover that one can see in the movies. 

He is exceedingly excited, to the point where he wants to cross his legs tight like he has been doing in the table during the dinner, but he is no longer able due to Ten restraining him against the corner and slipping in between them. 

His skin must be burning, or so he feels like when Ten stops kissing his lips to lick a wet patch on the hollow between his neck and his shoulder to then kiss it just as passionately. 

There's nothing quiet in his exhale, as his body tenses and stretches under Ten.

"Stay still" purrs the model over his skin, which doesn't help him completing his order, trying not to squirm, but shivering even more. 

He looks up to the ceiling, feeling the heat between his legs become more hostile as Ten begins to roll his hips onto his. 

In his mind, he curses at the model. 

Ten knows how hard he is, probably he has been planning this since he picked Taeyong up, and it's impossible not to know by now. With how the circumstances are, there are things that cannot be covered. Yet there he goes, round and round with his hips as he grinds against Taeyong and his lips are leaving a deep purple circle on his neck that he can't even hate. He will think about how to cover it tomorrow, when he has yelled all his hunger out. 

His body jerks forward irremediably when Ten holds a handful of his ass and pushes the blonde against him, making him ground his crotch straight onto his. 

He has bitten his own lip so hard he might have ripped it, but Ten lets out a low snicker.

"Scared that someone hears you making those sounds?" 

Up until now, Taeyong hasn't been considering he is sounding in any way, but he believes what the model tells him easily. He knows that he is sensitive, and it has never been a problem, never will. 

He rests his head against Ten's shoulder, getting out a sharper sound in response just to satisfy him. It seems to work, as the model puts his arm around him, going up to kiss his lips again, softly feeding the fire. The red on them torches where they land like a hot iron, just like his voice. 

"Has the cat got your tongue?" 

"No," he finally answers with a soft coo “I’m just letting you take care of me, my tongue is right here”

"I hope so, because I need it. Now" 

So direct. 

“My tongue?”

“Yeah, so be lovely and use it. I bet you know how”

Taeyong melts and drips against the corner, descending slowly against the walls like a viper until his knees rest on the spotless floor tiles, undoing Ten's sky blue pants as the latter strokes his hair. 

As he pops the button open and then the zipper, under his fingertips, he can feel Ten’s erection pressing against the suit pants with a silent and yet demanding force after rubbing all his body against Taeyong. 

Finally. Finally he shows the same level of enthusiasm as Taeyong, and the blonde loves it as much as he loves how it feels when he moves his hand against his bulge and squeezes it.

He is losing his ability to think, but to do what he is doing now, he doesn't need to. 

Ten doesn't really allow his impulsive reaction interfere, letting Taeyong pull his pants and then his underwear down by himself without hurrying him up, since the older’s eyes have turned glassy and he seems to be quite happy playing with the hardness of his pants and uncovering that part of Ten that sharply calls for his attention to make it spring free.

Taeyong tries not to get carried away by the vision, but it’s so new, sinful and long-expected that he needs a moment to focus. 

Ten’s small sound of amusement takes him back to the earth, making him stroke his full erection with his hand. 

“You are excited?” slams the youngest, earning the venomous transparency in Taeyong’s eyes when he looks up at him, making the model honestly surprised with the way his lips curl up by one corner. 

Taeyong sticks his tongue out cutely and traces a line up the model’s length, slugillish to an extent so he could feel the desperation pumping through Ten’s veins. The younger’s body tenses under but automatically, Taeyong grabs the base with his hand and fits his lips around the tip before Ten has time for anything, pressing his lips and making the embrace tight and hot. There’s a small gasp from Ten, but there’s no possible way for Taeyong to let him rest, so he gives another short lick, dipping on the slit with his tongue and sucking some more before he leans away a bit. 

“The word you want to use is horny”

Next, he shoves it back into his mouth, taking it in with a hum that makes Ten curl with the vibration. First it’s just a bit, but then he takes more, and at the next move, Taeyong is quite deep. 

He can hear Ten gasping softly, which doesn’t help the part of him that’s craving just as much attention as he is giving out, hollowing his cheeks to allow the flesh to fill him in. 

His underwear has started sticking to him way too uncomfortably, so he has to spread his legs as he kneels to ease the burn, but he is more concerned about his ongoing actions. He starts bobbing his head up and down, just once, making the reddened flesh come out from his mouth with a wet sound that makes Ten's dick twitch involuntarily again. 

Taeyong really looks like a guilty pleasure fell on his knees in front of him, with the shiny thread of spit dribbling down to his chin. 

“Fuck” the youngest mutters, “Keep going”

Since it’s damp now, Taeyong uses his palm to slide down a lot easier, and so the feeling is more intense for Ten when he closes his fingers around it and strokes, feeling it tic with the relish that makes him swell. 

There’s no doubt of why Ten’s nails seem to chirp against the wall, clenching his hands.

Taeyong then takes his cock to his mouth again, sliding his full, glossy pink lips down the shaft until the model can see the end of his cock disappear inside him. He repeats the process again, letting it fall from his lips to use his hand to pump him really tight. 

Each stroke is smooth and menacing for Ten’s lucidity. He moans as Taeyong's hand slicks over his quite swollen shaft. 

Because Ten is leaking an interesting, transparent liquid, Taeyong can’t avoid the self-sufficient smile, content with what he is making the model go through. He is so determined to make him blow up deafeningly hard, so he licks the discharge off his dick, and kisses the side all devious and leisurely. 

“You like that?” questions Ten, looking down at him. 

Taeyong doesn’t have time for anything that’s not sliding him deeper into his mouth until he feels he is pressing deep and can’t go further. 

“Hmmm”

The vibration mixed with his lips wrapped tight on his shaft makes Ten want to put his hand down to hold his hair and pump into Taeyong mad fast, but the blonde looks like he is enjoying Ten and himself too much to interrupt him. 

He speeds up in a second, anyways. 

The pace turns so messy, eager and hasty, just like Taeyong seems to be with everything he does, but he has a perfect touch to it, something that radiates mastestry, even if it’s in sucking him off.

Pleasure knots into Taeyong's stomach when he hears Ten pant and gasp. He can't not stop loving the heavy feel of having him on his mouth as he strokes and sucks, drooling all over him. 

He feels tight, so tight down there as he struggles to keep it going without it aching.

As a relief, Ten doesn't complain about him using his free hand to clench on the edge of his shirt, taking it for support as he does what he does best with his cheeks flushed red and his blonde, long hair sticking to his sweaty skin.

He swallows and flicks his tongue in certain moments, tasting Ten’s enthusiasm building up, but the model’s groans is what really motivates him to look at him with his perfectly pleading eyes in a completely obscene picture while his mouth is filled up. 

The clash of eye contact is a bit too intense for the moment, deeping in Ten's dark eyes of blazing lust for him, and it takes Taeyong to press his tongue flat on the tip of his cock in a way that makes Ten yelp and moan for real. 

"Don't stop, don't stop, don't…" 

Well, the tailor can’t imagine the kind of scene they are painting from the point of view of those whose tables in the restaurant happen to be located close to the restrooms, because he knows his very own mewls around the model are nothing more discreet than his. 

He closes his eyes tight, playing with his mouth and thirsting over the hot pulse of the younger one in his tongue. His hand doesn't give him a break either, stroking what he can't get inside his mouth and pumping it fast at the same rhythm of his head bobbing. 

He can’t really blame Ten when he moves his hips against him and almost makes him gag, he just takes a deep breath through his nose and continues, letting him move freely in his mouth. 

The model moans and his hips buckle up. 

Taeyong opens his big eyes to give a fakely innocent look away to Ten, who is mentally scattering up there, hands pressed on the walls and a expression in his face that Taeyong knows he will rarely get to forget, because it's the painting of how he is tasting the ecstasy coming down to his body and pooling on his lower stomach. 

And the tailor is tasting a way too different thing. 

The salty flavor of precum on his taste buds together with Ten’s feral low groan make Taeyong pull out just in time to pump him with his hand fast and tight and watch him explode with no shame. 

"Have you heard about warning when you are about to finish?" he sings, quite cocky as he last moves his hand a couple of times on him to squeeze all the pleasure out. 

Ten's head has fallen back, as he is catching his breath with his eyes closed, but a sly smile decorates his lips. 

His head lolls back to its normal position, eyes returning to the tailor's features.

"Sorry, I saw you were so determined that I thought you would, you know, swallow"

"Hey!" he protests while he goes back to his feet, pretending he is offended. He is not. "You are so full of yourself..."

"True, how mean I am" Ten's arms go around Taeyong’s waist to pull him back onto him, hand creeping up to hold his face as the other wipes a certain thing from his fair face. "We need to wash your face, you are spotted with white now"

Taeyong is catching his breath again, leaning on Ten's body and with his chin tucked on his shoulder. Not really knowing when it happened, Ten also looks back at him, close to his face as he angles his head just enough  to be able to hold his gaze. 

Taeyong's skin is ablaze, but his favorite model is not in a very different lane, sweaty and grateful that he had taken off the blazer and tossed it on the towel hanger before it all started.

It's a quiet second before Ten adventures to kiss his swollen lips, faintly, with a rather… reassuring peck. But Taeyong can’t really concentrate in an act of sweetness, not when he feels so tight and bothered within his own jeans. 

He highly doubts he can close his legs without making it ache at all, that bad it has gotten. 

He whines, moving against Ten’s body as a suggestion of what to do with him next, exhaling quietly, face burning, and kissing his neck languidly as a coercitive factor. 

"I’m here for you" He breathes out, teasing but troubled nonetheless. “Aren’t you going to fuck me?”

The way Ten places his hands on his hips, gently, doesn’t make Taeyong any chill. The model’s body swings liquidly against Taeyong, having that shit-eating grin on his face while the older feels the barely satisfying rub against his swollen dick. 

Ten kisses his lips again, plump and delicious, unhurried. The roll of his hips and Taeyong’s body trapped against the wall feels scorching, almost willing to finish all inside the clothes. 

"Does it start feeling like you are grounded?" He hisses darkly.

Oh god… oh no.

"Ten, you are not serious now, right?" 

The thai gives him a smooch on his cheek once more and opens the cubicle's door, putting his blazer back on and leaving Taeyong behind as he goes towards the sink to wash his hands. 

"Come here and wash that face" 

Taeyong has to inhale deeply to collect himself. 

He has been warned. 

Knowing that it's not going to make a really big difference, he un-tucks the sweater out of his pants and pushes the hem down, in case it covers anything. 

He splashes some cold water on his face to get rid of the sweat, among other things that are staining his face when he looks at himself in the mirror and discovers the naughty mess thats dripping from the corner of his lips. 

"You are not going to do this to me, right?" 

The door of the other cubicle opens, letting a man step out of it. Taeyong flushes more, almost snuggling on Ten's side. 

"Why not? Leaving you without dessert is not enough to rebuke you, as I heard"

Taeyong's teeth are pressing on his nail again, tugging with ease. 

Going out of the restaurant becomes a full-length adventure, quite literally. 

The waiter surely can confirm all the suspicions he formed about them being absolutely not straight and playing with each other with one glance. 

Taeyong can't believe it has happened nor what he is doing, but as embarrassed as he is and as rosy his cheeks have turned, it isn't guilt what he exactly feels about the outcome. 

He feels an unique fit of hate towards Ten that makes him want him even more. It’s so stupid, but he wants to make him unfold his methods upon him, for some reason. The way he is so pretty and interesting had caught his attention from the very start, yes, but the way in which he treats him once he got to meet him in person makes him unique, like a fine piece of crystal. His ways are different and have something that turns everything into an exciting trip. 

He knows clearly that Ten is not a bad person, that he ain’t cruel. He is understanding of his boundaries and takes interest in his life, but he doesn’t let Taeyong get away with everything he wants and that makes him longing for his approval. 

Just a little bit. He just wants a little bit of a reward from Ten. 

Back into the car, Taeyong can’t stop sulking and looking out of the window in silence, watching the streetlights shine and trying to concentrate on something else that isn’t his raging erection fighting the material of his jeans. Bad day to wear such a stiff garment but he really wasn’t picturing the dinner to end like this. 

The music has activated again with the engine of the car, playing in the background of Taeyong’s mind and accompanying his thoughts. 

What is he really trying to get from Ten?

He takes a look at the screen of the music player throwing brightness into the car, still curious by the trail of music that Ten is into, everything with that calm line that swings the scene like a baby and makes it relaxing in a thrilling way, either sensual or sad if not both at the same time. 

‘I wanna be yours’

Pretty inspiring, that’s a fact. 

"You can change the music if you want, don't get bored" says Ten, breaking the older’s tense bubble of mental fluctuations. 

"No need. I'm enjoying it" 

"Really?"

"Yeah" 

He has not much else to say about the topic, but Ten appears to have some other plans, giving him a clear-eyed grimace. 

"You are pouting, aren't you?" His giggle makes Taeyong really think about the answer.

If he has been pouting, he hasn't noticed but it would make sense.

"I'm… you know"

"I know. What can I say, you left me no choice. You were saying I was teasing you badly, so I considered you should now what being really badly teased is, for an example of proper talking" 

The tailor can't deny it, he is right. Ten had warned him and Taeyong, even knowing it's all part of their wicked game, had wanted to see what Ten's punishment feels like. 

Well, it feels as if he had poured gasoline down his esophagus and thrown a lit match to set fire to his body. He had got the answer he was seeking for, what a success. 

"I'm sorry" he finds himself murmuring. Not like a lost pet, not like someone that feels deeply regretful, it's just him knowing how to be selfish to please Ten so he can rip some satisfaction from him before the night ends. 

"About?" 

"I'm sorry I was bad to you"

He knows his tone is getting faint as it mixes with his best rendition of an angelic voice, but that Ten hears him perfectly fine, because Taeyong is leaning closer to him. 

"Will you do it again?"

"Perhaps"

Ten smirks in the dark of the car that filters from the night outside.

"It's on you. Where should I drop you, Lee Taeyong?" 

"Drive to the store and then two squares more" 

"You know I'm going to see you tomorrow, right?"

"I know" Taeyong says with a sigh, continuing his play. Ten has stopped the car to adjust to the traffic, busy with people returning home from work and office dinners with their probably drunk bosses. "You said you don't want to make a scene, but it's going to be hard"

"Harder than now?" asks Ten casually, guiding his hand in between Taeyong's legs and tracing his fingers over the clearly visible bulge in his pants. Before Taeyong can answer the question, from which he lacks words, anyway, Ten's jingle-like laugh comes out. "I don't think it can happen" 

"Please" he coughs. “Just-”

"What surprises me the most," continues the model without paying mind to Taeyong's shifting on the seat. "Is that you haven't tried to touch yourself through all"

"You told me not to!" he protests. 

Ten nods.

"I did, but you have free will, so you could have obeyed or just don't. Or maybe just make a bigger fuss. It's not like we really talked about the terms"

"Shall we?" 

Taeyong looks at him. He can swear that a car sounds its horn at the excessive time they are taking in front of the green traffic light and drives past them not giving a damn about circulation rules, but he is not really sure, because Ten's eyes look like stars. An equally sensuous but quicker song is playing now to accentuate the mysterious point behind this boy that can change faster than a switch, but Taeyong himself has always been someone with plenty of contrasts laid upon his own. 

Too bold in a moment, and too shy at others, like a balance trying to keep the plates flat by itself. 

"We should, actually. This is a game after all, it has no point if one of us doesn't have fun"

"I know"

He knows. Taeyong knows that all of it it's a silly bed game. 

"I'm sorry if I let myself go too hard on you," he says, actually resuming the pace of the car before they get yelled at again. "I would never like to do something that makes you uncomfortable, so if…" 

"Touch me" he finally moans, frustrated and confused with Ten's apologies. Of course he knows it's just a game, he is loving it whatsoever. It's been long since someone don't make him so nervous and excited with his presence. He wants to explore this route a little bit more, it's fun, and that's what games are about. Not that they are something else than that. "Please, I can't do it without you. I won't touch myself, I'll only let you touch me"

"In the car?" He asks, genuinely. 

"No, in my house"

"Babe," Ten says, softly, like someone who tries to make a child be reasonable "Your mother is there, weren't you saying that not in front of her?"

"Hhmm"

He has made a point. And Taeyong hates that he has made a point. 

"I don't think it's a good idea"

"But tomorrow it's going to be worse, Ten!" he complains, moving on the seat so worked up and ready that the sensations against his jeans are already something to deal with. "You are all done now while I grow hotter, and tomorrow when you come I will just feel so-"

A whimper of frustration goes out from his lips too fast to be held back. 

"So?"

Taeyong's lip twitches as he holds it between his teeth. 

He knows he shouldn't do that, because Ten is driving even though the commercial area they are going through towards his house it's almost empty at this hour, but he has to make his point come through thoroughly; and so he leans closer to him, and his hands plant on Ten’s thigh to speak his husky voice right on his ear, with only a sigh. 

"So desperate" 

"For me?"

"For you, babe, of course"

"Right where I want you, isn't it?" 

The soft, commanding edge of his voice provokes a pleasant chill to shake his spine, sounding just like Ten mewled back at him.

Edgy words don't seem so savage when he wraps them in his warmth. 

The car slows down, getting close to the square that Taeyong had indicated him to drive to. Ten gives him a side look, and without actually taking a look at the road, Taeyong just mumbles the answer of what he wants to hear.

"Second corner to the left. Block number 7" by the tilt of his lips he can tell that Ten is enjoying the situation thoroughly. That's something Taeyong likes, as one of the things that had been occupying his mind lately has been pleasuring Ten, and in fact his troubled situation has been worsened by causing and witnessing his peak of bliss; but it's not enough for him yet. "Why do you want me there? It's funny to you?" 

"Point number one, yes it is. But point number two, Lee Taeyong," he explains, looking carefully at the numbers written above the blocks' front doors to drive Taeyong exactly to the entrance of his house. The tailor doesn't really want to leave him in the middle of that mid-tempo groove playing deep from the music device, looking like his lips could do about everything he has ever wanted. "You look like the kind of guy who has always been granted everything. It's normal, with those eyes everyone would always want to give you everything. But have you ever tried… to stand on the edge a bit longer before plunging down?" 

"N-no?"

As Ten's turns to face him, his cheeks blush from the sudden closeness. 

The youngest has already stopped in front of his house and turned off the engine, since the street is empty of any transit at all. 

"Well, then let me show you how it is" 

"What..will I feel like?"

His breath gets caught in his throat as Ten finally leans on him to shorten the distance between them. He guesses that this kiss is the full stop at the end of their date, but it still feels like a swelter. 

"Melting in pleasure" 

Even him can hear the faint whimper he lets out. 

He hopes the cold air of the street at night can calm him down. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we get an F in the chat for Taeyong's d*ck? 
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	9. Walk-in closet

Taeyong knows he is drifting to the spot of self-deception where he tells himself he is doing this to impress Ten, but the truth is that he is just silently begging. 

He is by Jungwoo’s side, flipping the hangers of his closet once more, with a violent edge this time as if his life is being threatened in case he doesn’t find the best piece of his treasure collected through years of impulsive shopping to wear today. 

“Aren’t you supposed to help me choose something to wear, what are you doing?” finally questions Jungwoo, taking him back to the earth. 

"No, you assaulted me in the middle of my morning routine, I didn't make any promise"

"But I'm going to be alone with Johnny again tonight, I need you, I don't know what to wear”

“What’s with what I told you about not being me?” shoots Taeyong without filters. 

It’s too early in the morning, 8:30am to be more exact, but Jungwoo is already at his house again. 

Taeyong’s mother truthfully looked at Taeyong very estranged this time when she bumped onto Jungwoo at the hallway on her way out to open the store. Mixed with the fact that his son had arrived at midnight the night prior and had escaped to the shower straight away without barely any word, Jungwoo’s frequent visits at random hours to the closet of his son didn’t make it any less strange. 

She sure is making some wrong conclusions about what goes on. Taeyong feels a bit guilty about it, but he can’t tell her what the real situation is. 

Even if he is close with his mother, they don't have the type of mother-son relationship where he lightly narrates his sexual life to her, and the fact that the whole ordeal is with Ten doesn’t make it better, since it really sounds as inconvenient as it comes. 

Ten is their client and also a public figure that could be seen in gossip pages, imagine telling your mother you could be the next saucy headline about gay models and their hookups. 

Terrible manner to tell her he is not going to give her a daughter-in-law anytime. 

Sadly, the world is full of situations like that so he had to avoid her like the plague when he arrived last night, because the sweater wasn’t long enough to cover the big problem that Ten had left behind him and he had already proved in the restaurant, so he didn’t want another round of embarrassment. 

Taeyong let the coldest temperature of water possible pour down from the shower, since the mere act of taking off his clothes had made him cry out a sound of necessity and his imagination kicked off with thousands of situations he wanted to be involved in, mixed with those that had happened for real in the bathroom or in the backseat of Ten’s car. 

It had been difficult to make all of that calm down without touching it, but he finally got there. 

And he had listened to the instructions. 

“But I need-”

“You don’t need any of my outfits, Jungwoo” he sighs. Taeyong leaves what he is doing, finally feeling the real sentiment of friendship hit through the thick layer of frustration pooling in his lower stomach from last bight. “Listen, you have to chill, it’s just a movie night in your house, you have done this before with all of us, and even with all of us individually. Just wear something comfy like you always do, you can even wear pajamas if you want. Order pizza, have fun and don’t try too hard, it’s supposed to be comfortable for both of you”

“God, I’m so nervous” he confesses. 

Once more, Jungwoo sits on the shelf of his shoes, playing with his own fingers a bit distracted. 

He always looks cute, but now he looks more like the youngest among the group of friends, again like the shy kid they met at first. 

For a long time, he has been shielding his feelings from the world because it’s not always easy to tell a friend that you like him. 

The things that he had been building up in his heart were obvious for Taeyong and Doyoung that saw it from the outside, but the one that had the mission to see them floating around him was so oblivious that it made the very same Jungwoo doubt and flinch when someone suggested something that made his smitten state come to the light for others. 

He is just scared to lose him, like anyone could be. 

Taeyong can understand that. He sighs, still holding a french vibe blueish gray tracksuit he is considering to wear today. 

“Hey, don’t torture yourself. He said yes to the plan knowing that Doyoung and I declined it, so don’t think he is uncomfortable around you, give yourself some credit” 

“But I don’t know what to do, I feel dumb. I have wanted to take the step for a while now, but when I think about meeting him today I get so nervous and I can’t get anything right” 

“You are putting so much pressure on this night, Woo. It doesn’t have to be today, kiss him if you feel like it, and if not, he is going to stay here for the long run so you have time”

“How can I know that?”

“Because he is your friend” says Taeyong, honestly. He sits besides him in his self, his arm gently moving to embrace the younger one in a small, reassuring hug, which Jungwoo allows happily. The boy is fond of physical contact, and sometimes he is a bit deprived of it. “And that’s why you don’t need any of this. You don’t want to get laid and forget him later, so just make it comfortable, okay?”

Taeyong really hopes things work out for Jungwoo in the way he wants, because he deserves it. He doesn’t know of anyone that could get along better with Jungwoo than Johnny, but it’s strange how the latter seems to not realize that fact even when he is constantly being around him like a thirsty mosquito. 

Johnny's personality makes things hard to take. 

He is the kind of friend that cheers you and hypes you up. True that he is goofy like nobody, and can joke all the time and pick on his friends for the fun, but when any of them need a serious talk, advice or just conversation about the stupidest thing, Johnny is the one for it. He doesn’t hesitate to come to the rescue, nor he judges you, no matter how big the mistakes seem to be in your eyes. 

Even when he doesn't notices, Johnny has never hesitated to come quickly to crush near Jungwoo and wrap him in a ball of comfort when the time wasn’t bright. 

He really is oblivious of the things he can make Jungwoo feel doing things like that. When he gets so close and touchy and somehow expects he can make the younger one calm when all Jungwoo can think about is how he wants to take all for him without restraints. Maybe wrap his arms around his neck and ask him to be with him until his concerns are gone, or just to kiss him until he is not bored. 

“What if he doesn’t want to be my friend anymore after all of this?”

“Don’t say that, you know John. He values his friends a lot, he is an affective person, whatever happens, he wouldn’t let your friendship go to hell because of a different experience” 

“Maybe. But what if… what if he says no to me. To the love thing, I mean. That could happen, and what would I do when I know it’s impossible to get what I want?” 

Taeyong suddenly freezes. 

“What if after this I have to see him everyday knowing he is never going to be more than my friend?” continues Jungwoo. "How could I take that?" 

He doesn’t have an answer for that. 

What happens when two people that have seem to come together are in different lanes of commitment? What happens when someone moves further up the stairs and the other wants something else? 

“I guess… I guess that you’d be sad” he mutters, as the only thing he can think of, sounding sad himself. “But they say time heals the pain”

Jungwoo sighs, with a small chuckle. 

“Or maybe I'll just die of a gangrenous heartbreak” he jokes, sort of bitter. 

“Eugh, how graphic. I am going to throw the breakfast up” 

Jungwoo’s free, pure laughter calms Taeyong down, as they begin laughing together and he puts back the tracksuit, dismissing it from his options. 

Hearing Jungwoo taking things lightly lifts a weight up from his soul, perhaps helping him cope with the same question of what the hell happens when someone rejects you like that. 

“So…” resumes Jungwoo, voice turning into something a lot more pesky to leave behind his own concerns. “Are we going to talk about the planet size hickey you have on your neck?” 

Taeyong is looking at the content of his pants drawer but his eyes widen and his hand reaches out instinctively to where he knows the mark still draws a faint blotch of redness on his neck. He had seen it the previous night when he arrived home and looked at himself naked in the mirror. 

Ten had savaged his skin in a way too high spot to cover with clothes, but he could have expected that much from the model. 

Jungwoo’s laugh this time it’s not so light, but more like a loud mocking sound. 

“I..." Taeyong can’t contain the smile, he really can’t. “We shouldn’t” 

"Why shouldn't we?"

"Because… it's still strange between us" 

"Uh-oh, a secret affair?" 

Taeyong chuckles, knowing that certain part of it it's more secret that Jungwoo could imagine.

"More or less" 

"That's why you are so hasty this morning and transformed your precious closet into chaos?"

Taeyong looks back at the room to check out what Jungwoo has said, and honestly it's true that everything is all over the place. He would need to tiptoe to the door if he wanted to go out without stepping on any of the clothes that are on the floor or hanging out of place, unlike the always neat order of the place. 

When he looks at Jungwoo again, Taeyong slightly shrinks with that guilty but not so sorry smile. 

"Are you going to see him today?"

"Maybe we coincide" he admits vaguely as if he doesn’t know for sure the exact hour of the day in which Ten is going to cross the door of the store ringing the tiny bell. "And I also have an appointment with Lee Harin"

"The influencer?" 

"Yeah, I heard so. 800K followers" 

"Sheesh" 

"She has a lot of brand deals for sure and the commission she is requesting is really expensive, I swear. I calculated the budget yesterday and it's a big chunk of money" 

"How much are we talking about?"

"Around 830K won"

"Fuck, I should have studied to be a fashion designer!" 

"Yah, there are another expense to cover" whines Taeyong before his friend jumps into an idealized conclusion of his benefits. "But yes, besides that, it pays good. If she accepts the deal, of course" 

"So… you need something professional, pretty and sexy in an outfit at the same time?" 

"It's hard, dammit. I like the skin showing vibe"

"Okay, so this is my speciality" announces Jungwoo. 

Actually, the younger one is not wrong, his fashion sense is usually collected and pretty without stopping looking lovely, so his advice for once can be a lot more useful than Taeyong's in the fashion field. 

"Okay, go ahead, suggest something for me to wear" 

“But didn’t you say that being comfortable is more important?”

“It’s not the same”

“Why not? Because you say so?”

“Because our thing is physical” 

"Really?" Smirks Jungwoo, nudging his shoulder against Taeyong’s with his most annoying tone. "Is he good?"

Taeyong swipes his friend away. 

"Not your business"

"Oh, come on, Taeyong, we are confidents" Taeyong scoffs at that, unable to handle the dramatism of the younger. "Give me something good"

"Just chose something" hoots Taeyong. "I have to go" 

“Well, if you insist… wear some nice jeans with this shirt” says Jungwoo, taking out a white blouse with no collar and an open neck from one of the many open drawers. It’s a linen shirt, very light and loose. 

“Uff, jeans” he huffs, remembering the previous night's reminiscence of aching because of denim pants. 

“Yes, jeans. You are short but your legs are slim so they fit you well. And like, spice it up with a nice belt”

“Okay, then… this one?” he asks, pulling out a black leathery belt with a classic and elegant golden buckle. 

“Will do. Now let’s get you a golden necklace or something because you need furnishing to make this simple but outstanding, you know?"

“I perfectly know, Jungwoo” he protests, but Jungwoo smiles with his friend's silly exasperation as he has fun playing the personal shopper role that Taeyong normally does with them. “How about a white kerchief tied around my neck? Because I need to cover this” 

“Ah, the love bite" he nods. "Your mother doesn’t know?”

“Of course not. And if she ask, we went to eat all together last night, anyways”

“Did Mister X take you out for dinner, then?” asks Jungwoo, making Taeyong hate his perspicacity. 

He is a smart boy, but right now someone talking about Ten is inconvenient. It honestly stirs the confusion he has been left under since he pulled up in Ten’s car, making his finger a bit slippery when he tosses his pajama shirt aside to button up the loose top that Jungwoo has suggested to him. 

He has to admit he looks good in it when he tucks it inside the unfamous pair of jeans. 

"Mister X?"

"Since you don't want to tell me about it, I'll name him that" Both Taeyong and Jungwoo giggle. “So? Thought you guys were only starting”

“We are only starting, there is just a lot of flirting and heated up rhetoric…” 

And a desquiting, alluring sex game. 

“But he took you out” points out Jungwoo. 

The older one purses his lips. 

He’s starting to run out of time until he has to go to work, tilting his head to the side in front of the mirror as he ties an elegant knot in the kerchief as if he is a hot flight attendant. It’s not too bad, maybe not his style but he looks fancy, like he is going to attend an exclusive premiere of french cinema in a historical theater. 

“Yes, he did” 

“So he likes you”

“I am covering a bruise on my neck, I noticed”

“No, I mean, like you in the other sense” 

Taeyong lets out a belly laugh that makes Jungwoo a little bit confused. He shakes his head, denying that something like that could be true for a single second and committing very strongly to avoid the tickle inside his chest, as he attributes the effect to how funny he finds the simple idea of Ten magically falling in love with him in the spawn of some days. 

"No way, darling"

“I mean, there’s something if he had the courtesy, you can't deny that” 

“You don’t understand, it’s just that, the courtesy. He is cordial, you know? Decent” 

“Decent, angelic enough to mark you well where you can't hide it, uh? Strange mix”

“He is a mix, yes”

“Explosive, as I can see. Where did he take you? Did he pay?”

“Shut up, Jungwoo” he mumbles, starting to be nervous again. The only difference now it’s that he doesn’t know why he is getting so anxious and jumpy. He doesn’t like how the teases of his friend sound. “He is just being nice to me, it was about time to find someone that’s not a complete asshole” 

“He paid, didn’t he?”

“Whatever he did, it was about getting in my pants, okay?”

“Okay, okay, don’t beat me. So maybe he doesn’t like you...”

“Right”

“...but do you like him?”

Taeyong turns around, finishing the touches of his outfit as he places the belt’s buckle straight and in the center of his hips. 

Jungwoo is looking at him, between curious and amused in his invisible seat among the shoes of the shelf. 

He realises that it would take time for him to find the words to answer Jungwoo’s question, since the thoughts of his head that surround that topic are as messy as them. 

“He is…” He stops, drawing a peaceful breath, acting like that move is going to help him out the situation. “No. No. It was just a casual thing, I don’t know why are you blowing things out of proportion” 

“Sure, no problem. Fuckbuddies or whatever, it’s fine like that”

“Yeah”

“Okay”

“Alright!” concludes Taeyong, feeling like he needs to have the last word of that conversation to not become a loser in the discussion. 

Maybe his skin is still oversensitive, but Jungwoo’s early morning visit is flashing too much annoyance on him. 

Taeyong doesn’t recognize another reason for himself to get a fit of anger. He doesn’t want to think about it. 

***

The start of the morning is not especially remarkable for Taeyong. He comes and goes from appointment to appointment by the wayside, as nothing it’s a very creative job until 13:30 comes in the clock and a person who is clearly Lee Harin, enters the store. 

It’s really easy to discern that she is the kind of person that dedicates her life to be relevant in social media, even though Taeyong doesn't follow her and didn’t know her until he took the time to look through her feed when he was told she would come. Even with a simple outfit to go to a tailoring store appointment she looks really styled. 

She is wearing a spring season dress with flowers and a long pink cardigan, comfy for anyone, but she looks like a doll on it. Her cheeks are unnaturally rosy, her brunette long hair has waves that are impossible without a curler, and her lips truthfully full. 

She graciously skips to the counter, carrying a pouch and a large paper bag that looks just as chic as the rest of her. As soon as she is close enough, she greets Taeyong and the other employee of the store that’s taking a turn with him politely, bowing with all her hair floating around her like a highlighter of her towny bearing. 

“Good evening, I am Lee Haring” she says, clearly looking at Taeyong this time. 

He guessed that she knows well who he is due to her discovering of him through his instagram account. 

“Welcome to StudioLab, I am Taeyong” he says with a customer-like smile of correction, pulling out some files and papers from under the counter and checking out the labels to prepare all that he is going to need. Then, he surrounds the table and takes the road towards one of the store's easy chairs that surround a small coffee table. “Follow me, miss, take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Would you like a drink?” 

She sinks in the white cushion of the chair with the lightest of the falls, while Taeyong places the file on the table and gives her a polite look. Her nails are oval, long and perfectly polished, when she, almost theatrically, taps her lip hesitating for a split second. 

“Would you have milk tea?” 

"Sure. Is it a milk tea then?" 

The coffee and cake service had been instituted in the store by Taeyong’s mom a few years ago, mostly for those people who came for appointments about specifications and talking about design or arrangements more carefully. They usually were the clients that spent a higher amount of money in their business, and it gave a fancy look to the establishment that other people could see through the front window or share in social media. People like picturesque places, after all, so it’s been a good marketing strategy so far. Treating someone for a drink and a pastries is a small detail if they are going to pay a several digits amount of won and people got dragged into visiting too when they saw it.

“Yes, thank you"

"Then give me a second, if you don’t mind” 

It doesn’t take much, just about three minutes until the electric kettle is hot enough and Taeyong pours the tea and milk in two cups -because he is going to give himself the right to consume some of it, as well, his breakfast has been rushed due to Jungwoo’s surprise visit- and takes the pastry of the day in a plate, which is a rather big and crispy looking croissant with honey poured on top. 

The woman’s eyes seem to glow when he returns and puts these things on the table, but it’s not on Taeyong to feel proud about that beyond the courtesy of making a customer comfortable.

It makes him think about the line that separates being cordial from sentimental for the second time in the day. 

The way she eyes him it’s a bit telling about feeling grateful towards the food and, specifically, to Taeyong, but it doesn’t mean much to him. 

Is it always that ambiguous and hard to tell what's the right relationship between two people? 

A thought like that makes him bite his lip a bit before he sips from his mug. It’s complicated, and he shouldn’t be focusing on that, he shouldn’t even be thinking about it instead of working. 

“Thank you so much, this is a blessing!” Harin cheers, taking him back to reality. 

As expected from the look of everything in the table, she pulls out a pink and fancy looking Iphone11 and snaps a picture for her instagram, in which she starts typing something unknown for the tailor. She is probably tagging him, so he lets her do it freely while he drinks his tea. It’s another blow of wind in his back to escalate in the professional world, anyway. 

“That’s what I’m here for” sentences Taeyong, finally opening his file. Let’s just talk about his speciality. “So you told me you were looking for a mini-dress”

“Yes. I would like to wear a blazer mini-dress that is really trending for young women lately, but since it’s for Fashion Week, I need something unique. Repeating an outfit in that occasion it’s tragic, you must know”

“Yeah, I understand. But Fashion Week it’s going to be held in ten days, you are really pushed in time” explains Taeyong, trying to sound mild in a warning like that. Less than a dozen days to plan a custom order and deliver it, with fitting sessions, fixes and all that it takes is a complete madness. “Maybe you should consider another choice”

It hurts him to suggest it, but it really is rushed. 

Lee Harin shakes her head. 

“I know it’s a bit risky”

“Very risky” corrects Taeyong with a gentle smile. "And I have to warn you about that"

“Yes, I know. I had another plan for the outfit on Saturday, but it had something that doesn’t make me entirely convinced. Then I suddenly bumped across your profile and saw your works. I am surprised I didn't heard of you before, it’s just perfect for a unique streetwear! It’s elegant, brave… dazzling”

“Wait, Saturday?” almost coughs Taeyong. The customer nods, as if it’s nothing, and he feels the obligation of clearing his throat with another sip of tea. “You plan this to be your outfit for Saturday?”

Saturday is the most important day of the event, it's the time when it’s more busy and everyone tries their best because the public has more free time to lurk into the pictures and articles. Dressing someone, just anyone with contacts, that day it’s too much of an opportunity to let it pass. 

“If you say it can’t be, I’ll understand, but it would be a pity. I can pay extra fee for being so inopportune with time if you decide to accept”

“I… if you have a back-up plan and want to ask for this knowing that it might delay if there are sudden incidents in the process, I can take it”

God, he is going to be working extra hours for sure but he can’t even let that opportunity go. Just like his mother when she accepted the request from Ten’s agency not knowing who he was just because of prestige, he is following up close.

“Please! Yes, please, I would be so happy”

“Sure. Then let me explain what I prepared for you and if you see something that you like let’s take your measurements right away. If we want everything down as soon as possible we should go like that. Any problem? Clashes with your day plans?”

“Not really, I can stick around for a bit longer” 

“Then let’s not beat around the bush anymore, I have more clients to attend today”

And what type of clients, actually. Among those, the next one to ring the bell of the store must be the one that has made Taeyong wear the cute white ribbon around his neck by accident. That alone makes him smile like a fool. 

“Yes. As I was telling you, I want something more striking than a black blazer”

“Are you planning to wear something underneath or… open?” he says, gesturing carefully as he doesn't really want to refer to her chest area in that way. 

Even though she doesn’t seem shy about it, Taeyong doesn’t need to make her keep up those hopeful eyes of dangerous curiosity towards him. 

Yes, things really seem to change depending on who you do them with. Agh, it’s annoying but he can’t stop thinking about it today. It’s really different when Johnny calls him princess and when Ten does, and it’s vastly different to get greedy eyes during working hours from Lee Harin than to get them from Lee Ten. 

Should he worry about that? 

Obviously Ten hits him differently, and the chemistry between them is creating havoc, but it feels so much different that Taeyong gets scared. 

After all, before Ten came to him, he had already taken a superficial swim into his mind, and nothing can tell Taeyong that he is not going to want to dive deeper. 

He has always wanted to.

“No, nothing underneath so I rather the collar to not close too low”

“Sure” says Taeyong, scribbling and doodling on the page. “Then what do you think about a plaid pattern? It can look good on you if you fix your hair behind your ears”

“Sounds good, actually”

“Are there extra items you want to carry?” keeps asking Taeyong, ignoring the extra vibrancy of Harin’s enthusiasm. "A bag? Shoes? Something?" 

“Ah! I almost forgot!” she exclaims, taking the big paper bag that she had been carrying and moving it above the table. Inside, there was what looked like a large cardboard box. “I brought the high boots I want to use”

“That’s perfect, thank you. Do you mind taking them out?” 

She nods, taking out the box that’s absolutely enormous, but Taeyong can guess why just when she opens it to extract the shoes. The boots are really high, probably reaching up to her thighs when she wears them, and also have really high heels and a bit of a platform. 

They are a gorgeous pair of black boots, the kind that Taeyong digs and look quite bold to belong to the dolled up girl that’s in front of him looking all sweet and femenine. 

He is not the one to judge that, though. 

“That’s a game changer” he says earnestly. “Those boots paired with a black beret, maybe a thin black choker and the plaid blazer would look great. I'm your designer, nor a personal shopper, so you can do whatever you want, but I'm giving you tips since you said you wanted to look brave and unique"

"That's okay, what else do you think?" She says, posing herself a bit in front of him. "What suits me?" 

"For the plaid dress? You can style your hair straight, brush it back and hold it with the beret. But especially, get yourself a good makeup. Nothing about natural looking makeup”

“Can I see the drawing?”

“Sure” says Taeyong, tilting his papers so Haring can see what he has been making up while they were talking about all those specifications. 

“Can it be more fitted here?” she asks, pointing at the hips with her perfect nail of white nail-polish and little heart shapes in red. 

“You know what? We should not make it fitted itself but add a thin black belt. Since you are petite and your legs are going to look long with those boots, the oversized look if we pull all the outfit together with a belt is going to look less sweet and more potent. Is that what you are going for?”

“Yes, yes, thank you! I usually look more… romantic, I just one to try something stronger this time”

An almost sarcastic chuckle leaves Taeyong’s throat this time just because he can’t believe the bat of her lashes. 

He spares the input, for he is actually having fun with the request and it’s very exciting to design something like that. It’s the kind of thing he has been waiting to do for a very long time, and giving tips to such a femenine looking girl to capture another nuance in her outfit for nothing less than Fashion Weekend’s Saturday's shift makes his heart flutter. 

Time is even flying by fast as he converses with Harin and shows her the samples of the available pleated materials they have in the repository for her to choose from. 

His feeling of things lifting up in the latest days is still pulsing inside him. 

There had been days where Taeyong had thought that trying hard is more exhausting than worthy, being a victim of his own exhaustion when it comes to work with too many expectations and a big goal ahead. He had been burned out, and even bored at times, telling himself to hang in there until better times could come, fixing the small things first. Some days it had been too sad to stay up to see another day of waiting behind the starting line for another phase of the journey, and suddenly, with enough perseverance, the day had cleared up to give him a view of a new bend in his road to keep moving. 

It feels fresh now, and he hopes the sentiment tags along for long enough. He needs to heal and breathe in peace for some time. 

Spending nights feeling sleepless is not his favorite thing, he has always preferred to spend them wrapped in thick blankets and resting well with the window open. 

Worrying Johnny, Doyoung and Jungwoo weigh too much in his heart. And yes, he appreciates how they take care of him whenever he needs help and how they spend whole afternoons watching silly movies with him so he stops feeling alone, but he can’t help the light feel of fear of them growing tired of him feeling discouraged. 

After a lot of talking, Haring ends up picking a beige plattered material, and Taeyong gives her an approach to the final budget that has always been a big amount, but that has increased even more due to obvious timing circumstances. 

In fact, he barely believes he is closing that deal, but the woman doesn’t hesitate when they move back to the counter and she takes out an envelope with a substantial amount of money for the upfront deposit. 

Taeyong safely puts it back inside the file with Haring’s designs and leaves it under the counter, texting his mother as well to notify her of such relevant exchange of services. 

Of course, he doesn’t miss the sight of a prominent looking notification in the bar of his kakaotalk app. 

[14:00] Ten 🔥: Why does it still feel like I haven’t fixed anything in advance for today? 

Taeyong’s spine is a prey for a cold chill. 

[14:36] Babyboy💕: feeling guilty, Mister Lee? 

"Lee Harin, you can enter in this room, I'll be with you in a tic" 

He cooes, gesturing towards the door for the online star to make herself comfortable. 

[14:36] Ten🔥: not a bit 

[14:36] Ten🔥: just to see the face you make when you pout makes it worth it

[14:37] Babyboy💕: say what u will 

[14:37] Babyboy💕: but I think deep down ur not so much of a fucking prick 

[14:37] Ten🔥: I am not a prick at all, Lee Taeyong 

[14:37] Ten🔥: Never tried to

[14:37] Ten🔥: I think I said clearly that it was for your good 

[14:37] Babyboy💕: imma need to see that 

[14:37] Ten🔥: feel that*

[14:38] Babyboy💕: stfu, I'm working 

He giggles, amused with the way Ten makes him feel all playful. Nonetheless, it's true that he has to go and do his job. 

How does Doyoung manage to work so much and do extra hours without feeling that temptation to run away when something pulls from you? Maybe because Doyoung just uses his job to distract himself from a lonely life. 

All of them have tried to convince him of that, just to attempt to take him out of that hurtful routine; Johnny even moved with him to the shared apartment, taking the advantage of how much affordable it is for them and using it as an excuse, but Doyoung didn't get the indirect too much. Or at least he acted like so. 

Taeyong locks his phone, sighing and roaming through the counter, picking up his measuring band to go and measure the girl that awaits there in order to get to work in her order as soon as possible. 

He told her to have a back-up plan, but he wouldn't let the opportunity slip, especially when he already saw that just a story on Instagram from this woman, where she had tagged him as he thought she will, had another bunch of followers lining up in his account. 

The road is opening for him to go up, so he can't just… not.

[14:37] Ten🔥: ain't your lunch break now?

Although he sees that concerned looking text show up in his phone, he has to leave it behind and go into the fitting room. 

He is going to see him later, anyway. Taeyong convinces himself to just reply later and work as he should, pushing hinself throug the store for the sake of his future. 

Skipping his meal it's not good, he knows that, but Taeyong is the kind of person that gets too forgetful of those things when his focus it's on a particular activity.

Besides, measuring someone to make a dress -even if said dress it’s dangerously short- takes a lot of time. There are many curves and nooks in a human body to make a piece of fabric adjust to it and cover it being more of an expression than just a convenient thing to not be cold, so the numbers have to be all the accurate Taeyong can manage them to be so when he cuts the pieces and assembles them together, they require the less fixes possible before being ready. 

Add to all of those conditions that a girl that bases most of her fits on having the same vibes than a strawberry shortcake has decided to commission particularly Taeyong because she knows the style he carries is far more risqué. She is a full-length challenge, and like so, Taeyong gets immersed in the act of cinching the band around her and notes the results with a margin of errors of just millimeters in his particular sheet of measurements for the order. 

Such is the case of his deep concentration that he almost jumps at the sudden voice of his mother calling him. 

“Sorry to interrupt, Miss" apologizes his mother in advance, looking at Harin before he goes back to look at his son. "Sweetie, are you going to need a lot of time more to finish that?”

“No, I just have to take her length and hips, it’ll just take a couple of minutes”

“Sure, but hurry up, I have an appointment too and I don’t want to leave Mister Lee waiting alone out there”

Taeyong snaps his head up, a bit forgetful about keeping things lowkey. 

How much time has he been actually spacing out about job, measurements and designs that not only his lunch break has fled out but also the evening appointments have started again to leave Ten out of the agenda? 

When he enters the equation, it’s actually harder for Taeyong to pretend he has everything under control. 

“Oh gosh, what time is it?”

“Quarters past three” sings the model’s particularly musical voice from outside, probably as he stands in front of the counter waiting. 

Not only does his mother look at him, raising up a smile that Taeyong can’t decipher, but Lee Harin stares at him with an unconventional glance, as if she is trying to pick up with the silent reason of the small flicker in Taeyong’s tone. 

“What do I do?” ask his mother, apparently holding back a cuckle. 

Is his expression right now so panicked that even his own mother can tell how unstable the model makes him?

He notes the number of the circle of Harin’s hips in the sheet, trying to keep some of his reputation as a decent person in front of the girl that stands on the podium in front of the mirror and that has put her trust on him for a big responsibility. 

“Come in, Ten, I’m almost done” 

“As you wish” he says, bordering the corner and coming right into the fitting room. 

Just as Ten arrives Taeyong can see him looking just as yumny as he is used to, he doesn’t need a lot of time to realise that. 

Today he is wearing his hair down, a bit long as it flops over his face with the parting in the middle. His build does the trick just fine, because the outfit is very simple, as someone will expect from a casual set to attend that type of appointment. It’s a plain white t-shirt tucked inside his jeans and with the sleeves a bit rolled up. It still makes Taeyong want to lick his arms. 

“I guess you can manage by yourself” says his mother as farewell. “I am going to do some stuff I have to get shorted out, Taeyong”

“Sure, mom, have q good day”

he waves goodbye to his mother, having enough of a mess inside that fitting room already to add the predence of his poor mother 

“Hello, Harin”

“Hello, oppa, it’s nice to see you” 

Whoa. It sounds so… irking? Cringy, as well, to hear Harin say that. 

“Do you know each other?” he can’t help to ask, curiosity spiking up in his voice suddenly thirsty to know what’s the actual tie in between those two. 

"Oh, yeah" answrts Ten, airly. "We do" 

“Just a bit” adds the woman in the podium with a sweet, gentle smile that actually irritates Taeyong even more. As opposed as Ten, whose sneer snitches on him, talking about how much he is enjoying. “We have coincided a couple of times before, during events, mostly” 

“I see. Ten, can you hold this for me?” he requests, biting his tongue for the best and holding the measuring tape between his thumb and index finger at Lee Harin’s head height. 

Not really changing his expression, Ten gets close to him -unnecessarily close for the task, but welcome as he does- and picks up the yellow band just as gently as Taeyong has been doing. Meanwhile, the latter descends in a straight line, following the fall of the tape measure to press it on the floor and check her height. 

He doesn’t want to say what this arrangement resembles with him crunching down on the floor, but it’s enough to eat the small twitch of Ten’s eyebrow as they look at each other briefly, leaving Haring even more adrift. 

Well, that makes Taeyong able to take the situation with a lighter heart, which drives him to get up as soon as he secures the correct number in his mind, pushing Ten back with his hand on his chest so he can lean over him to reach for the sheet that’s resting in the small table by the mirror’s side, completing the last empty space. 

“That’s all, Harin, you can put your shoes back on” 

“Thank you for everything”

“It’s a pleasure” states Taeyong, helping her to slip in her high-heeled shoes offering her his hand to hold onto. “Come with me, I’ll give you a recipe for your payment and a date for your next visit. Ten, you can get ready as I walk Haring out, I’ll be with you in a minute”

“Just one minute, Lee Taeyong”

“I promise I can toe the line today”

“Let’s see” 

Of course they are going to see it. 

Taeyong takes out a template for payment recipes and fills the required fields in no time, topping it with his sign. He already has an stimate day for receiving Haring and do a fitting appointment, placed at the end of this same week, which should leave them with a few days for the last touches after that and with the weekend in the middle in case she needs deeper changes after trying it on. 

In no time she is finally walking out of there, and Taeyong can catch a breath to be able to lose it again over his favorite model, who’s turning more into his favorite lover. 

“Stop rushing, you are going to choke” chirps the model when Taeyong practically jumps in front of him and steps up on the podium with the shirt ready, sounding like he is giving out advice. Actually useful, if the tailor has to rate it. “It was a joke, give yourself a break”

His hands are already in Taeyong's hips, as if they are risking to fall from the stand and there’s no plenty of space for them both in that room to keep a reasonable distance. 

They remain there for a moment, but then Ten lets him go, probably remembering the place where they stand now. 

The feeling between them is like living in international waters with no law all the time until they step into that room and there’s a constitution to limit them. 

“So what do you know Lee Harin from? Are you guys close?” Ten chuckles, but Taeyong seems serious about what he is asking. Then he unfolds the finished cashmere shirt and looks at the model with a look that gets closer to tenderness. “I need you to take your shirt off”

“Sure" nods Ten, extracting the edge of his white shirt out of his pants and pulling his shirt over his head to slip out of it. "So I know Lee Haring because she is affiliated with a lot of luxury brands and I am a model, it’s no wonder why we know each other. She introduced herself to me during the past year’s BeutyCon, if I’m not wrong” 

For sure, while he narrates this, Taeyong takes in everything he can see in front of his eyes, loving the view of Ten’s chest, and his tummy, his tattoos and his glowing skin that looks like caramel and maybe even tastes like so. 

He is so goddamn gorgeous, even more than what it looks like through the screen of his phone as he used to watch him. 

Instagram can’t comprare to the reality of his air. 

“Hmmm”

“I am going to extract out of that question that you don’t like to share”

"Just curious" Taeyong lies, but he does it for the wellbeing of his pride. 

And still, what kind of right he has to claim Ten as his? They are nothing stable to go asking for the truest commitment. 

"Sure, but I didn't know she was the one to hire you, it was unexpected. Don't get me wrong, she has a large following ratio and, to be honest, she is really pretty and classy" the enumeration of these facts are, surprisingly, genuine. That's not Ten's teasing voice, the tailor knows how to distinguish it by now, as it puts him to boil the majority of times, but it makes him a bit unsettled still. "But your style is far more exciting than that"

Stop. 

Taeyong is fiddling with the shirt and helping Ten slip into it so they can test it for the last time before it's ready, but his brain flicks for a moment, not hearing the words that he expected from Ten but something more likeable instead. 

That's why everything pauses while his thoughts try to catch up. 

"You have gone through my portfolio?" 

"How do you think I choose what services I should hire?"

The answer is a bit cold, because it's obvious. 

It can be expected from a professional model to take good care of the places they take their important costumes and outfits too, but it's just that Taeyong, until now, hadn't believed in the fact that Ten could hold a similar admiration for him that it is the other way around. That he has looked at his works and decided it’s his thing, making them somehow equal. 

He buttons Ten's shirt up, little by little, thinking about how odd it is to go through his buttons in this order. 

"And how is my style, then?"

"Well, you know. It's a statement" he elaborates. "Outstanding and evocative, quite genderless, sharp, I would say… looking lavish it's part of it too." 

“I like how you make it sound”

“Just like you make it look”

"You think so?" Oh, he sounds so soft that it's stupid. "That is all of those things?"

"I do, and I find it pretty engrossing, which makes me less surprised when I try to think why a lipstick kind of girl wants to choose it for a striking public appearance. Please, save me a design sometime"

“Seriously?”

“I told you already”

“I thought you were being… nice”

“You are good. I meant it and I mean it now”

"Shut up, you are going to make me blush"

"You are already blushing, Lee Taeyong" he comments, not as biting as he could be, while he turns in his heels to look at his reflection in the mirror. And then, his voice adds that subtle, slightly darker input. “And you know I would model that style better”

He looks perfectly tidy and appealing. The shirt suits him just as it should, with the broken white tone of the cashmere contrasting perfectly with his tanned body. His velvety skin glows as much as the material when he moves and the light reflects on its folds, ruffles twirling behind him when he leans to one side and then to the other, testing the seams under his elastic moves. 

He knows Ten is not a catwalk model, but the way he looks just there makes him seem like all the spotlights are focused on his silhouette. 

Of course he knows Ten would model his style better than Harin, his feline eyes would be the perfect complement to the fierce elegance of Taeyong’s brand. 

He would make the whole world melt. 

Part of his back shows in between the baggy, loose material of the shirt, drawing the firm lines of muscles to match the tense flesh under the skin of his arms. His waist, however, is small, and all the things together make him look like an oil painting of a fallen angel. 

All of this happens in a split of second, right before Taeyong can make his brain work again. 

“Are you comfortable? Does anything feel too tight or too loose?” 

“No, it’s perfect” 

“Good” he says, stepping off from the stand to take out the other piece of the set from the corresponding box in his stack of orders. “Now let’s go with the pants and after that… after that…”

His words start dying down when he realizes what his phrase is going to imply when he wraps it up. Suddenly he is a bit scared of how things are going to work when he crosses that point, but it had been there for a while, he should have prepared for the fact to be assumed by his senses. 

“Yeah?”

“Then we’ll be done” 

Nothing is supposed to change. If so, it’s supposed to have a better flow once they are not tied by a rope of business, but in the bottom of his chest, Taeyong is still unsure of what he is doing, forging something strange with a platonic crush of his. 

Having the security that Ten would keep coming back to the store to take his clothes with him was a sturdy base to hold into, and he is not going to have that anymore.

His train of thoughts crush before he can spin this idea way too much, when Ten undoes the first button of his pants. 

“What are you doing?” he asks, voice edging a higher pitch for a moment, like in a voice crack made out of panic.

Ten looks at him, the tailor would say that incredulously. 

“Well, I need to try those on” he says, pointing at the piece of clothing Taeyong is holding. “I am supposed to wear only one pair at a time”

“Sure, but like, we have a screen for this occasions right there, you can change behind it”

Now the look of Ten truly turns incredulous and he laughs, almost in staccato. 

“Yesterday you were doing what you were doing but today you can’t see my underwear?” 

“It’s… it’s not the same”

Ten forms a sarcastic “A” with his mouth, as if he believes that the reason Taeyong gas given makes any sense. 

For him, it doesn’t, but he still respects what the tailor asks him to do, sparing him the rough patch of being stared at while his face heats up and his palms press his cheeks trying to find a helpful way to drown the feel of shyness down. 

Ten takes the pants and go change behind the screen like a proper client of the store. 

The slap of the jeans being hung on top of the screen makes Taeyong shudder. He knows he is just giving Ten more motivation to tease him, but he can not control it, and less when he is aware of how half naked Ten is behind that thin layer of wood. 

“So.. Now that we are talking about this, how did you manage yesterday?”

There it is, the question that dooms Taeyong’s cuticles to feel the pressure of his teeth while his brain tortures him with accumulated needs. 

He can’t contain the sigh. 

“I didn’t”

Ten’s head pops out from behind his refuge. 

It seems like the model needs to take a second or two for the information to sink in, squinting his eyes as if trying to guess Taeyong by the look of his face, but in the second that follows, the tailor can see sheer mischief gathering in Ten’s pupils and the curl of his tilted smile. 

That face. That expression. The vision of someone who doesn’t play the same game as others and makes Taeyong shiver. 

“Lee Taeyong, is that a joke?” 

“It’s not. You wanted me to demonstrate that I am good and I told you only you can touch me, so I did nothing” he recites, barely ashamed of the filthy words that he says out loud. 

Ten comes out from behind the screen with the pants on, but Taeyong’s mind has drifted from whether they should be fixed one last time before Ten can wear them or not. At the moment, he is only focused on Ten approaching him with the same devil-like expression.

“Swear it. Swear you didn’t touch it looking at me in the eye”

Taeyong locks his eyes with Ten. 

He doesn’t know what kind of magic does he have, or what cocktail of hormones they radiate when they come together, but the mere act of holding his gaze takes the filthiest part of him to the surface without regretting a single bit of it. 

“I promise you that I didn’t touch it, nor did I use anything else to fix it” he says in his faked tone of innocence that always comes out even worse than a firm sounding tune. “That's your job” 

“Then you are going to love it when I start my shift”

“Not here, daddy”

“Call me that one more time and we are off to risk that, but it wasn’t about that”

“Tell me, then, what's about?” 

Luckily, they separate from each other, because Taeyong is about to break. 

Ten paces to the stand and checks himself in the mirror, moving here and there to see all his angles, right into the pair of trousers that really fit him well, after all. 

He sure loves to make Taeyong stay on the edge. 

“Do you have plans for next week?”

“Yeah, actually I do"

"Someone stole my chance?" Jokes Ten.

"Well, Lee Harin has put me in a compromise with her commision I guess, I am going to be overworked so… just work, as boring as that is”

"I supposed that you would be busy, but what about Saturday?”

“Nothing on Saturday, I should be done by that time, but you… you probably have to attend the Fashion Week too, right? Aren't you going?"

"Yes, I am. My agency got me a brand deal and they picked me to go but no catwalk or anything. Is moreover a party"

“So?”

“So?" Chuckles Ten, mimicking Taeyong’s adorable confusion. "Come with me” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say that I am really really thankful for all the readers this is getting, as well for the kudos and comments. Thank you for letting me know your excitement, your expectations and opinions, it's really helpful for me as a writer, especially with this one fanfic that I didn't even plan to post. Thank you for reading and liking my works! Until next Friday, have a nice weekend!
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	10. Side effects.

Taeyong practically lapped on his friend’s group chat as soon as he arrived home and kicked off his shoes, sinking on the puffy sheets of his bed like an excited teenager. 

Probably because that's all of what he feels like, an overexcited cloud of emotions, senses, impressions and cravings, b ut the occasion means it. 

[21:12] TY: gays!!

[21:12] Doie: talk for yourself 

[21:12] TY: guys*

[21:12] TY: but u r, doyoung 

[21:12] TY: anyways 

[21:13] TY: IM ATENDIMG THE FASHION WEEK!!¡¡!!¡ 🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊😱😱😱😱😱😱😳😳😳

[21:13] Doie: SHUT UP, REALLY!? 

[21:13] TY: YES

[21:13] Doie: YONGIEEEE!!! CONGRATS!!! 🎉🎉

[21:14] TY: ON SATURDAY MAN THAT'S SO CRAZY

[21:14] Doie: I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU COULDN'T GO, HOW FUCKING MUCH DID THAT COST!? OMG 🤯

He sends the picture of his perfectly crafted invitation on top of his table, looking as lavish at it really was when it arrived straight to him via Ten Lee. It is beautiful, and even the cardboard seems more expensive than all he could afford with the brand engraved on a silver ink topping the header of the text with his name. 

It’s crazy to stare at it, and even crazier to know where it came from.

[21:14] TY: whoa finally, this has been in my bucket list since forever 😭

[21:14] TY: actually… actually i didn't spend money 

[21:14] Doie: uh?

[21:26] Doie: WAIT, YOU ARE GOING WITH BURBERRY? ARE YOU INSANE WTF WHAT DID I MISS!? 

[21:26] TY: 😳😳😳

[21:28] Johnny: well, i bet you sucked his dick after all 

[21:28] Doie: DUDE???

[21:28] Doie: whats all that attitude?

[21:28] TY: what if i did tho 

[21:28] Doie: who he gave the bj to? to Thomas Burberry in his grave?

[21:29] Doie: wait what

[21:30] Doie: hold up, Yong, did you get a sugar daddy?

[21:30] TY: did I?

[21:30] TY: buff... he is a little bit of everything

[21:30] TY: 😇😇😇

As he replies with those words after a long day of work and craziness, he actually feels too good to care about how bad he had sounded. 

He knows Ten is not his sugar daddy, first off because Taeyong is not short of money at all, -wich couldn't be a problem if he wanted to dig more gold out of him anyways- and second, because he has talked with him about that invitation.

Surprising that they voiced something for once, but true. 

He had been so shocked when Ten handed the envelope to him that, even being aware of the risk of having a mouth too big to find him disgrace, he had looked up to Ten with his big sparkly eyes and told him those words. 

_ "Ten, you don’t need to buy me with luxurious presents for me to go to bed with you"  _

Even though Taeyong feels like a high end lover being expensively spoilt by his model, something at the back of his mind screeched at the idea of Ten believing that was the case.

The model, however, had looked at him appalled.

_ "Wait, wait, wait, it was not my intention to make it look like that" _

Taeyong is still suspicious of whether he unintentionally offended the model suggesting that he could do something like use him as some kind of scort, so that was about the first line they ever drew between or around them and their relationship since they met. 

_ "I feel like I have to make it clear, it’s not for the money or the attention"  _ Taeyong had also highlighted to the model.  _ "Everything I do with you is just for pleasure. It’s fun to be with you, it feels good and it has nothing to do with the presents you can get me, you know?” _

_ "I know, I mean, you barely ask for anything" _

Taeyong had giggled to that. _ "Just for one thing, right?" _

Ten laughed too, nodding slightly. 

Once they started talking about the existing boundaries instead of running all over the place like two beheaded turkeys, he didn’t want Ten to think he succumbed to him like that, searching for the fame or the benefit that a designer could get from keeping "a tie" with a professional model. 

For the new attention and deals he is getting, he didn’t want to put their slowly-building-of-a-thing in danger.

_ "I'm inviting you because you seem like you could be interested. You exude passion for it, so I guessed you would like it" _ finally said Ten, quite upfront. Then he sneered and gave that small tilt of his head to an amused Taeyong.  _ "And because an after party can be a lot more fun if you bring the fire to it"  _

That was beyond flattering for Taeyong. 

Every angle was appetising because, not was he only invited to watch an event he has dreamed about for years, he also can show up in there knowing for himself that he is Ten's personal lighter. 

Success, luxury, a hot hook-up… he was happy with his donut and coffee before, but this one is more appealing, he can say that much. 

_ "It's a perfect temptation" _ he had concluded to the model, making him give him one of his almost cynic chuckles. 

_ "I was thinking about it like, you know? raw attraction, but that's also a good way to call it. Sounds better to say that I'm your perfect temptation"  _

_ "Don't act too cocky, or I'll find someone else in the after party"  _

_ "Someone that's not a meanie like me?"  _

_ "Exactly" _

Fast forwarding to the present of him in his bedroom, Taeyong has that little gut feeling about some of his friends not taking the news with a light heart, but damn, he is not registering it through the thick layer of excitement. 

Someone he had kept an eye in for several years seems to reciprocate that dumb magnetism he feels, he is also a responsible lover that just doesn't treat him like rubbish and keeps an interest in his opinions and life goals. That alone is already good as it is, so add to the mix that he got an almost impossible invitation to a fashion event and a possibility for a job promotion in the hands of Lee Harin, and you have a bomb of anticipation.

What to do? What to wear? His mind is going to blow. 

He opens kakaotalk again and breathes in. He never writes long texts to Ten, but this time he is making an exception.

[21:37] Babyboy 💕: Hi, Ten, how is the day going? I actually wanted to thank you for inviting me to this thing because I was shocked at the moment you said it and needed a moment to catch up with it so I think I didn't. I have always wanted to go and honestly you were spot on with it. I'm kinda sorry that I brought up the sugar daddy/money/fame thing and screwed the nood up a bit. So yeah, thank you, I love it 🥺🥺🥺

[21:37] Babyboy 💕: and i bet we can have so much fun 😌

[21:37] Babyboy 💕: u know what i mean

He seems a bit vulnerable with the sincerity of the first paragraph, but he thinks that only that much is fair in sight of the situation. 

They are adults, though, they can set a pace.

Another message pops in the groupchat. 

[21:38] Doie: details pls

Taeyong sighs. Still, a smile paints in his face as he types in the words.

[21:38] TY: how do I put it?

[21:38] TY: a little temptation of mine 🥰

[21:40] Doie: some men are born lucky 

Talking about the devil may summon it, whatsoever. His phone beeps with his favorite type of notification.

[22:36] Ten🔥: I supposed you would like it, babe

[22:36] Ten🔥: but you don't have to apologise to me for talking honestly tho

[22:36] Ten🔥: I mean I know 

[22:37] Ten🔥: my life activities are in the expensive side 

[22:37] Babyboy💕: I like expensive tho

[22:38] Ten🔥: i know that too

[22:38] Babyboy💕: but I wanted u to know that fucking me ain't gonna cost you money 

[22:39] Ten🔥: that's nice 

[22:39] Ten🔥: bc i wouldn't pay anyone for the xxx 

[22:39] Ten🔥: it's odd 

[22:40] Babyboy💕: a man of principles 

[22:40] Babyboy💕: hard to believe when ur up to no good 

[22:42] Ten🔥: when have I been up to no good, Lee Taeyong?

[22:42] Babyboy💕: when ur 🍆 is hard mostly 

[22:43] Ten🔥: incorrect

[22:43] Ten🔥: good is all im up to at those times

[22:43] Babyboy💕: how is that? 

[22:43] Ten🔥: good for you, good for me 

[22:43] Ten🔥: good

[22:44] Babyboy💕: specially for u

[22:45] Ten🔥: are you gonna use the lovely whines about me being a meanie again? because i told good things come for boys who wait 

[22:46] Babyboy💕: I meant something else

[22:46] Babyboy💕: bcs u really hit the jackpot with me, no?

[22:46] Babyboy💕: im pretty and im good 

Today feels too good to bite back the self love remarks, which are better to use when that self-appreciating mood shows up just in case it goes away later, so it was Taeyong’s philosophy to use it wisely. 

Besides, he has been getting loose with Ten as they grow used to each other's quirks, so that's what the model has for himself after inviting Taeyong to Burberry's private zone. A little bit of untamed self-appreciation from Taeyong is not going to hurt the model, and maybe he even likes that, in sight of how Ten gets high on risqué situations. The badder the bitch, the funnier the sex, someone could have told that to their waiter when they went out for dinner and save the poor man from the shock. 

[22:47] Ten🔥: 100% pretty and about 90% good 

[22:47] Babyboy💕: then u say where is the leftover 10% 

[22:50] Ten🔥: 10% persuasive 

[22:51] Babyboy💕: so little? 

[22:51] Ten🔥: idk, are you seeking after the fulfilment of your praise kink?

[22:51] Ten🔥: because correcting myself

[22:51] Ten🔥: yes you have a big one 

[22:51] Babyboy💕: use it then

He dares to type that, actually wishing for it. 

[22:52] Ten🔥: yeah? And turn you on without having you close so that you can call me a meanie once more?

[22:53] Babyboy **💕** : …

[22:53] Ten🔥: waaah, Lee Taeyong, be careful of what you wish for 

[22:53] Babyboy **💕** : bla bla bla however 

[22:53] Babyboy **💕** : i hate u a little

[22:53] Ten🔥: HAHAHA

[22:54] Ten🔥: so easy 

[22:54] Babyboy **💕** : moving on, what should I wear for the event? Don't wanna be out of place

[22:55] Ten🔥: Well, try not to outshine the models, if you can

[22:56] Babyboy **💕:** c'mon, be honest 

[22:56] Babyboy **💕:** bc u know clothes are very important for me

[22:56] Babyboy **💕:** you really think I can do that?

[22:56] Ten🔥: I am absolutely sure

Okay this is very, very silly, but Taeyong blushes in his bed and feels a need of kicking his feet. 

Is he really that pretty on Ten's eyes? He has always been thinking he is fine, but just like that, in an average, common way, not in this worshipping worthy lane. 

He knows Ten is not saying it just to please him, not this time. Something between the lines of text tells him that he is not lying to be kind this time. 

Maybe affection and lust really are one single train. 

Ten is like that, he doesn't play that cold with Taeyong to show some outdated brand of masculine cliche with him, he just goes with the flow and does… a bit of what he wants. 

Whatever that is. 

[22:56] Babyboy **💕:** then okay, I will try to have some mercy on their looks

[22:56] Babyboy **💕:** but I can't promise anything 🥰

[22:57] Babyboy **💕:** now babe I gotta go and have my beauty sleep

[22:57] Ten🔥: Is that ur secret? Sleep?

[22:57] Babyboy **💕:** And the secret ingredient

[22:57] Ten🔥: Which is?

[22:57] Babyboy **💕:** A secret?

[22:57] Ten🔥: Ah yeah, of course 😂🤫

[22:58] Ten🔥: But before u go, Lee Taeyong

[22:57] Babyboy **💕:** hmm? 

[22:58] Ten🔥: Do you have a second for me tomorrow?

A second for Ten Lee. It's hard not to have a little bit of that in every pocket. 

[22:58] Babyboy **💕** : sure baby wanna come over? 

***

"You seem… annoyed" sighs Jungwoo. 

Very deep inside him, there's the version of himself that doesn't want to have this conversation at all and knows the risk of starting it, but as a friend, he can't pass another minute of looking at the TV pretending he is not aware of the way Johnny is silently fuming. 

It's been more than an hour since they casually drifted from pancake making to the buzzing activity of their phones in unison that announced that personal triumph of their friend. 

As proud as Jungwoo feels for Taeyong, who has been working very hard in his career goals ever since he started in college, his mind automatic pilot moves to that small pout on Johnny’s lips, as the tallest makes that petty comment in the chat that Jungwoo has perfectly read and suggests with a listless gesture that they move on to watch a silly movie on netflix. 

God, Jungwoo really shouldn't have started this conversation, but is there a way to save the plan he had reserved for tonight if Johnny is in that mood, anyways? 

"I'm fine"

"Come on, Johnny" he puffs, pausing the silly MIB movie they have been watching and dragging a click from Johnny's tongue. "Try again with someone that doesn't know you like I do"

“I said I’m fine”

"Hey, no" he said trying to ease him, getting closer to him on the sofa as if they weren’t already close before, but since they are very hard headed to accept they had been almost cuddling, Jungwoo sits on the couch with their legs touching, facing Johnny and resting his hands on his thigh. "Talk to me"

"It’s nothing"

"It is something if you have that long face, what's so wrong for you to get like this? It’s about work again? You know there would be more opportunities for you in the future to get something more-"

“What does he have that I don’t?” he finally murmurs, his tone too breathy from longingness. 

He definitely had drunk a bit more of wine than either of the friends had planned for the movie night if he has just spilled a secret that had been in his pocket for years- or so he thought- but maybe it’s just the moment for it, he can’t be pretending forever, he deserves to get it out of his chest and Jungwoo is a good listener. 

Johnny is very close to him, looking at his eyes, so he can see him make that face, in the process of being dumbfounded, so he keeps going before the youngest can interrupt him with a question that sets him off.

“I think I’m kind, and funny, and I look decent… I have been by his side for years…”

Maybe that fact should have made Johnny learn by now that his friend is not really inclined towards him and flip the page, Taeyong has had a line of affairs already. 

But Ten. 

Ten is the one that upsets him the most, so far.

“Well, he is…” starts off Jungwoo, somehow trying to absorb the impact so he can cheer Johnny up. But damn, who cheers Jungwoo up now? “We can’t know, right? It’s on Taeyong to tell us when he is ready”

"Ready? Do you think they are up for something long?"

"Dunno, Taeyong is keeping it lowkey, but he took him out for dinner"

"Really? He told you about him?"

"Not a lot. I spammed him with questions but I don't really know anything about him, I didn’t even get his name, so you can tell. I didn’t know he told you"

"He kind of didn't” sighs Johnny. He had already apologised for meddling into Taeyong’s secret but he isn’t too regretful yet. “God, will this ever end?”

"What now?"

"The longing and incertidumbre of feeling things for him" sighs Johnny, gloom taking him to sink his face on his palm.

“Well, it could” says Jungwoo with his sight low, lost in the pattern of Johnny’s jeans as his hand nervously plays with the older one’s fingers. It's not so hard to see that he becomes a little bit of the shy Jungwoo they first met when he is around Johnny and Johnny only, but the latter doesn't realize because he is gocused in… well, just in the thing they are talking about now. “I mean, this might be an unrequested advice, but just… you deserve better"

"What?"

"It’s not like Taeyong is not great, you know I adore him and I’m thankful that he took the time to approach me when I was lonely, but in dating terms, Johnny… he is really… he is up for another type”

“I guess this is the point when a man has to flip the page, isn't it?”

“Hmm, yeah, mainly”

“But it’s hard”

“I know damn well” 

“You do?”

“I-” Jungwoo cuts himself up. 

He just doesn't know what to do with the whole situation, he feels helpless, upset, a bit angry… he is a mess, and a wreck, on top of that. 

For a second, Jungwoo remains frozen, digesting the question as he didn't expect Johnny to get his tilt for once, less to ask something in that line, but then he pushes himself to nod with his head shyly. 

His mind is faded, feeling like a dream in which he dares to slowly start untucking Johnny’s shirt from one side to slip his fingers under it, one by one, feeling the warmth of his skin on his pads. 

Their eyes meet in the shape of a silent moment to question their prospect, broken by the youngest leaning on him. 

Jungwoo knows it may not be the best idea, he knows he is going crazy in the heat of the moment, but he can't maintain this circus any longer. 

He kisses him, both lingering and deep, surprising Johnny for sure, whose lips glide with a delicious slippery sensation over Jungwoo’s plump mouth. 

Johnny pulls back a little, making Jungwoo feel a bristle of coldness for a second, but the eldest licks his taste off his lip like testing the flavour they had to them and then, almost hesitant, kisses him again letting his tongue in to make Jungwoo feel staggered as their breaths mix with a hot blow. 

Jungwoo doesn’t know why, he doesn’t want to know what that little spike in Johnny’s scientific curiosity comes from. After all the dry thirst for him, the world outside that livingroom doesn't exist for him during a tiny moment, and in consequence, Jungwoo doesn’t need to find a motive. 

The next thing he knows is that he can hear Johnny click his tongue and laugh, a soft giggle that earns an incredulous stare from the brunette boy in front of him, whose mind blanks out as soon as he feels the immediate caress of Johnny's hand creeping up his face and messing between his hair locks. 

It’s not the time to pet him like that, it really isn’t. 

“Don’t pity me like that” whispers Johnny. "I'm not that helpless" 

It’s a nightmare, his fingers up to the younger's scalp feel so light and tingly that’s difficult to detach his brain from the idea of being the rightful owner of those touches. 

"Pity? Are you serious?" says Jungwoo. His voice sounds to him like he is either on the verge of spilling a tear or just really angry, but he can't tell, for his feelings are stirring so much. “Haven’t you heard a word of what I said, Johnny?”

“Come on, don’t sugar coat it for me, I know what this is about” he states, but Jungwoo suspects that he doesn’t know at all. “I know that I have been acting as if there’s nothing I feel for Taeyong all this time, but that we all are aware of it, even him. He has respected the little fantasy in which I pretend we don’t come together only because I don’t say a word, but he never spares me a single try of approaching him. I know he doesn’t feel the same, I understand that can happen, but it hurts. A lot. And you... you had been quiet about it for me too, but now that you know that I’m becoming more and more upset, you are trying to distract me from all of it with this and-”

“That’s what you think this is about? You think what I feel for you is  _ pity _ ?” 

“Well, the other day I was mad at him and we… you know? We went out and things… happened. And today…”

“Hold on” chokes out Jungwoo, who has decided that sad is how he really sounds like, showing his index finger yo the tallest. Then, his fist clenches as he tries to find the exact word to express all the frustration he is feeling at the moment, but his tone itself really makes the job in front of an equally surprised Johnny. “You did it in spite?” 

“Which thing?”

“This, Johnny!” he says pulling down from his sweater to reveal the fading traces of his love bites. The aforementioned man still feels a shade of pink tint his cheeks when he looks at it straight away. “Because you are jealous of Taeyong?”

“Not spite...” mumbles Johnny. 

The youngest can’t stop looking at him incredulously. 

God damn, does he need to rub it on his face? How can he manage to look like that with only jeans and a stupid flannel? He has the presence to make anything look mouth-watering, so tall and handsome, so fit… His light brunette hair has been styled with gel at some point but it’s half undone and falling on his eyes already, making him appear effortlessly charming even though he is wrecking his heart in the spot and crushing every illusion Jungwoo has lived by through the days since last wednesday. 

“But maybe my mental chaos" resumes the older. "I’m thankful that you always take care of me when I feel down but you don’t have to do this”

There’s a pause filled with silence. 

Johnny lifts his eyes to see his friend, stopped in the quiet living room of his very own house, really not understanding the length of the problem because, yes, his mind lately has been a chaos where he can’t find anything and everything has been switched from its original spot. Things float in his mind with Taeyong, shopping, Ten, Jungwoo and the heated up moment of body language at a college party that took him off the overthinking for a second to feel freedom. 

In all of this, it almost seems for Johnny like there’s no space for more surprises or new things to take a turn, but the lack of a shine in Jungwoo’s eyes when he looks at him before diverting his eyes from him, doesn’t sit right. 

He didn’t know that Jungwoo could look so cold. 

“You are so blind”

“What?”

“You think I’m a… a… board for you to hang your medals?”

“Jungwoo…”

“No, you think you can make me walk in front of Taeyong putting up all this act just to tease him?”

“Hey, I didn’t say that! I genuinely had fun, but-”

Johnny moves towards him, but the youngest also moves back. He gently goes to hold his face for the smallest one to look at his eyes, his fingers holding his chin up.

Jungwoo is right, Johnny is blind and oblivious of the things he can make him feel doing something like that.

“Johnny, don't… touch me" he says, fuming, brushing his hand off. 

He sees the surprised expression in thr older’s face, losing the last trace of his tranquil vibe in the moment Jungwoo rejected his caress, knowing damn well that he doesn’t push him away very often.

“What did I even do?”

“God! It’s you! All you do!” explodes Jungwoo. He is taken over by an opaque kind of venom that, he guesses, is the pure essence of that jealousy people talk about. It crushes over him like a wave that swallows his compass of kindness. “And it's fun how you ignore the things you do to people… to me… when you get so close and touchy and somehow expect you can sooth me when all I can think about is…"

He stops. 

The very act of completing that sentence could find him trouble.

“Is… what?” rustles the tallest. 

“God, nevermind! Would you even catch it you stupid… idiot!?”

“You know what? You are reaching” 

Jungwoo scoffes out loud. 

The audacity. 

"Oh? Am I? Are you serious!?"

“Yes, okay? I am telling you all of this because you asked me and I trust you, Jungwoo. I’m feeling raw and maybe I’m not being the brightest man alive, I know, but you are giving me attitude. I like him and I run in circles, what do you want me to do?”

“What do I want? Johnny, I want you to see further than your own nose, is that much to ask for?” 

“Dude, I don’t know!” he says stepping up from the couch and reaching for his denim jacket. 

"Don’t call me dude!" Jungwoo snaps his head to Johnny's direction, a bit taken by surprise, eyes widening as he follows Johnny’s long steps towards the door “Where are you going?” . 

“Home” 

“Wait, what?”

“I am not on my best, and clearly you aren’t either, so I’m going home, since this is falling to pieces”

“No, wait” says Jungwoo, getting up too and moving after him as they both stormed across the house halls to reach the front door. Johnny is already in front of it, hand on the handle as he opens it and looks back, giving him a last chance to finish the sentence before he goes. “Are you going to leave this conversation like this?”

The slam of the door makes Jungwoo feel a chill that goes down his spine, surrounded by an unsettled air that the bang has left behind. Something that almost sounds like his very own heart cracking. 

Johnny has never been the hostile kind of guy, quite far from it, but this one really sounded angered and Jungwoo knows… he is mad at him. And that he has a reason to be the one that feels mad after finding out that Johnny has been using him as a distraction, but guilt and gloom mixes inside him and leaves him standing there, looking at the closed door for a minute, frozen. 

His heart flips inside his chest, discovering the secret of how much can silence hurt when it’s too long and it leaves you alone with your thoughts. With a chance to replay the conversation and make up a sinister made-up future where he is able to feel that he has burnt all the bridges, that Johnny won’t come back and that he won’t hear his voice calling his name ever again.

Jungwoo doesn’t know how, but at the end of that minute he has started crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	11. Talk that talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year to everyone!! I hope everyone is coping well with the start of this year and that no one (including yourself) is giving you a hard time for this new start. I will keep with posting this story normally, every Friday until it's done and I hope this is a moment of joy for everyone. Thank you again for all the comments and support you are giving me, I read everything even if sometimes I don't really know how to reply but they are very meaningful to me.  
> And now, let's gooooooooo!
> 
> ***

From the placement of Lee Harin's order, Taeyong and his mother had agreed that Taeyong attended the store in shorter turns and worked specifically in her dress from home, since it was way more convenient. 

Well, their apartment wasn't a penthouse, so of course, the rolls of material and other papers piling by the professional sewing machine they had at home, made the space a bit less habitable in the studio, but it wasn't too bad. 

Taeyong and his mother lived by themselves. When their parents divorced, Taeyong’s sister was already an adult, and decided to move out with their dad because the house's location was more convenient for her goal in life, while Taeyong asked to stay. It wasn’t easy to make a choice like that and be away from his sister who meant -and still means- so much for him, but they managed it well and visited each other often from the beginning. 

He had made a good choice. 

Taeyong was really thankful about the brightening of his mother's face when she heard his working news during dinner. 

The tailor didn't expect such celebration but apparently his mother was really proud of him and his pursuit of a designer fame more than a tailor, which made him blush deeply with that fulfilling sentiment of doing something great. 

But still, he didn’t know how to tell her about the Fashion Week invitation from Ten.

He knew it was a bit messy to explain it out loud, since him and Ten, apart from being quite secretive, didn't seem to follow any particular pattern of relationship or the average development of them; but did all had to be so complicated, after all?

Human relationships are like chocolates on a box, there's no two of the same shape. 

Between him and Ten, it was what it was, two adults feeling attracted to each other and being nice with the other because their personalities fell in place together conveniently, there was no need to make it difficult. 

Just… friends that fuck. _Fuckbuddies_? Maybe they didn't fuck that often to be called that yet… for the other hand, Taeyong is more than willing to change that part and fuck with Ten day and night.

Though his mother could go without the sex related detail, anyways. 

"And Ten gave me this" he finally told her, handing her the envelope with the ominous Burberry engraving on it just like that, not trying to make a circus out of it. "I am very happy and excited"

Once more, he was unable to hide the wide smile on his face. 

His mother gave him that silent 'O' expression as she held the invitation. 

"Ah? Mister Lee?" 

Maybe Taeyong had slipped on that one.

"Yeah" 

"This is great, Taeyongie. Didn't you want to attend it since you were like… fourteen? Whoa, I'm sorry that mother couldn't take you here because it's expensive but it's a really nice detail from Mister Lee, you said thank you to him right?" 

"I did" he nodded with a smile. He did, of course, and he would probably say thank you thoroughly when they meet again. Pretty and good is his brand, but that's another detail that could be omitted for his sweet mother. "And you don't need to say sorry for not taking me there, you helped me a lot so I could work well and get it for myself. Next time, I'll buy the ticket for myself"

"Ah, that's right, it's a good mindset. Make some contacts when you go, yes? May serve you well for your career. And take business cards with you"

"Of course, I guess it's time to push some strings and find me a place in there" 

"Yes. I'm very proud of you, Taeyongie"

"Thanks, mom. I'll try to do well"

"You will, I'm sure. But have some fun too, uh? And don't drink too much, uh?" 

"Mom!" Protested Taeyong, embarrassed by the advice as if he was a young boy that acts reckless and can't take care of himself. "There's no need to say that, I won't make a mess"

"You know what I mean, those events always have big after parties, open bar and catering for guests, just remember to be adequate"

Oh, yes, those events always count with the big private parties after the working part, Taeyong had almost forgotten about that detail in which he is attending one of the fanciest parties around town with Ten Lee, the model able to hunt him like a small prey of his own to entertain himself for the night.

That sounds attractive for Taeyong, nonetheless. Where he says he doesn't like to be treated like trash for boys -which is absolutely true- he doesn’t exclude being the love toy of a needy, hot model. He trusts Ten enough to let him mess around with his pleasure. 

"And how comes that he gave it away?"

"Uh?" Asked Taeyong, whose fantasising brain hadn't recorded the origin of his mother's question. "Sorry, what were you saying?" 

"Mister Lee" she repeated, making her clarification. "How exactly happened that he decided to give you such expensive ticket?" 

The slight curling up of his mom's lips made Taeyong want to hide on his plate, as if his mind was being read. 

"We get along, just that" 

Indeed Ten and Taeyong do get along very well and have a nice, alluring chemistry. 

The older hasn't forgotten that, tangled into the endless and uneventful day of drawing patterns and measuring fabrics to begin with Lee Harin's spectacular dress, he has agreed to receive a visit from Ten today. 

As everything about the model in question, the hour of his arrival was vague when he told Taeyong that he would show up sometime after lunch, setting Taeyong in a giddy state in which his mind kept reminding him of his posible arrival all day. 

At the end, Ten was not really inaccurate with the timing, because around 5pm, the doorbell rings. 

Standing in front of the door, Taeyong takes a deep breath and hopes it's actually Ten who's behind it. He had sent Ten his house's location in case he didn’t remember the way to his building correctly, and he knew he would show up, but he is still a bit unsettled. 

This meeting feels different than riding a black high end car and getting taken care of in the back seat. This is much more… natural? Spontaneous may be the best world to describe it. 

A match at home always feels more comfortable for the player. 

He opens the door with a smile and maybe a bit of a messy hair due to the erratic pull and brush through it while he thinks about shapes, discovering his favorite shape. 

"Hi, Ten" he greets lightly, checking him up. 

It's not like the model is specially dressed up, he is just wearing a retro looking t-shirt and some boyfriend jeans, but he still looks gorgeous to Taeyong, whose white t-shirt with a cute teddy bear vinyl and red sweatpants give him a flashing regret of not putting on something that showed a bit more effort from his side. 

"Hi, sugar" Taeyong gets frozen for a second, first processing the new nickname and then due to Ten's gesture, putting a hand on his cheek and wiping something away from his jawline. "You got graphite smudged on your face"

Taeyong immediately tries to brush all of it away with the back of his wrists, provoking Ten to giggle. 

"Very busy? I can leave if you need time"

"No, a break won't kill me, if anything, it would be convenient. It’s good to have someone that reminds me how the time moves, when I get too absorbed in a task I mainly forget everything else, my friends always tell me that. Would you like something? A drink?" 

"Coffee?" 

"Sure, coffee is alright. Come with me, don't stop there in the entrance"

The older takes the first steps back into his own house, and Ten obediently follows him until they reach the kitchen, sitting on a stool around the aisle that Taeyong gestures to. 

"Take a sit whete you want, make yourself comfortable" 

The apartment is not explendid, but it's good enough, and to be among the affordable ones in such a busy neighborhood, it looks classy. There's white marble galore, white furniture, soft pastel cushions on the couch, a couple of flower vessels here and there between family photos… 

From Ten's perspective, it must be a pain to clean all of that, but it suits Taeyong's pretty and gentle aspect, so he could have very much foreseen that the tailor's house would be similar to what he is seeing. 

"How do you like it?"

"Coffee?" Asks Ten amusedly, playing with the inaide joke he has in hia mind. "Hot and strong" 

"Really?” he questions, moving across the kitchen to take two mugs out of a cabinet and pretending he is not shaking in doubt due to the double meaning of Ten’s phrasing. “Okay then"

Despite having the opinion that the content being poured from the coffe machine on Ten's cup is closer to an oil spill than it's to coffee, Taeyong finally leaves the two drinks on the aisle when he is done serving them, takes out some nice piece of cake from the fridge and sits on another stool, moving the sugar jar closer to the thai just in case he wants to fix the terrible dark liquid he is about to drink. 

“What brings you here today?” finally asks the tailor, who has been playing with that question in his mind since Ten asked him to see each other the previous day. 

He just didn’t want to make awkward questions trying to speak about some topics too soon or seem… well, impatient. Even thought that could already be a given fact among them. 

“What? Why not? Do I annoy you?”

“Yes, you do, but the question is not quite there”

With Taeyong’s playful joke, Ten plays an offended gesture like a skilled actor for the older one. 

“Am I annoying?” 

Taeyong gives him a playful sneer. “Maybs"

"And when I thought I had you all hooked… little did I know”

Is not that Taeyong breaks down his own smirk, but Ten's comment adds a blush to his face, feeling exposed to his eyes. 

Nonetheless, the model pulls out something from his big bag with daisies that makes Taeyong forget about that. His curiosity bubbles straight away, catching the piece of fancy cardboard that is folded in halves when Ten hands it to him. 

“Shows and presentations' schedules for the Fashion Week, you'll find all noted in this diptych. The theme for the night and dress code in our seated zone is also specified in it, I'm sorry that I forgot to give it to you with the invitation”

Taeyong looks at Ten and, taking a guess, his own eyes must be glowing with sheer emotion just by the 'theme' word that shoots up his creativity like a sling.

“Oh, there is a theme?”

“It could be said like that" says Ten with a gentle and patient smile. "If a brand invites certain people, they most likely want them to portray a trend or approach for the new seasons and be cohesive. Is not obligatory, just convenient, so don't feel pressured, I know there's not many days left to mess around with various wardrobe choices"

"Are you kidding? It's like candy to me, give them my damn resume" 

"As your sugar daddy or whatever, I would, baby, but I don't have a copy" jokes Ten.

It doesn’t happen often, but suddenly, Taeyong’s focus on him and his words fly away, trying to find the part of the paper where that particular specification is written down, finding the line with the fancy black font under a table of schedules. 

_ <Theme: Transparencies and nuances> _

Oh god, that could be so good. 

But there's something else that Taeyong wants to know, something that may not be the best idea to ask. Or maybe yes, he is a bit lost in the correct pace of getting personal with Ten. 

The model didn't seem bothered the other times Taeyong had asked something straight away, and it's clear that there's nothing aloof when it comes to their terms. 

It's fun that he can act so hesitant around Ten while knowing that he has been on his knees for him, so leaving the diptych aside on the table and playing with the cake in his fork, he pushes forward. 

"And… this is all you wanted? Give me a schedule?" 

"It’s not enough for you?" Chuckles the thai, quite not understanding the point he was trying to make. "You asked me what you should wear to not be odd, I thought you would like to have the official letter. I usually don't bring people with me, my friends are already invited to go and/or get bored in these places, but you seem interested so…"

"I mean" cuts Taeyong with a smirk. "You could have sent me this in text form without taking the bother of coming all the way to my apartment" 

Ten understands better this time, cocking up an eyebrow. 

"You are asking me why I came to see you?" Taeyong nods, eliciting a knowing smile from him. He wonders if it's that easy to discover his hidden intentions and, if that’s the case, if it's of any use trying to play hard to get with Ten anymore. He guesses that it has an especial appeal to do all the flirty game, is funnier. "Want me to be honest?"

"Would be appreciated if you did"

"I wanted to see you"

This time it's Taeyong who raises his eyebrows with surprise and a little bit of question in his eyes. 

"Just like that? So simple?" 

"What did you expect me to answer?" He asks the tailor, amused. "I mean, my lifestyle is nice but, you know? Modeling it's just another job and I can get bored too"

"Seeing me solves that?" 

"What? Of course it solves it, ain't that the main point of this?" Ten says, finger gesturing between Taeyong and himself. "Fun?" 

So that's the reason, lust and mutual attraction mixed with boring free time. 

What a recipe for a sweet treat. 

At least Taeyong has discovered what holds them together now.

"Oh yeah? Guess I'm that entertaining, then" he confers with a smile that Ten battles with another one. "Since you can't resist me and are here again after, what? One day?" 

"Bet you are. And, don't get offended, but guessing by the hermit-like work session of drawing and sewing that you are having in your very own house, forgetting that you were pretty hungry..." says Ten pointing at Taeyong's already empty cup and the big chunk of cake that had disappeared from the plate while Ten's side reminds almost untouched. "...You needed a distraction too" 

Taeyong cackles. Maybe he doesn't work as much as Doyoung does, nor he builds his life around it, but that doesn't mean he has a bit too much of a workaholic habit, so Ten's point is not so off. 

"That must be you" 

Ten smiles, still balmy as he sips on his hot and dark coffee. 

Is not like the model is sex-crazed and he can't do anything else with Taeyong that's not specifically in the physical lane. In fact, that's one of the things Taeyong finds more appealing from all the stuff he has been discovering about the real life Ten that not only lives in his phone. He could be dragging Taeyong around pretty easily and making him break a sweat on bed, but -if they didn't count how risqué his ideas were when they came to him- he is chill. He sits around, maintains a conversation and keeps the manners like a decent human being should. 

Not too bad for what Taeyong is used to.

Plus, Ten seems to have a high level of resistance against Taeyong’s flirty moves, he lasts long before just going hard. It makes Taeyong's skin shudder and want him even more, finding the trait sexy for some unknown reason. 

"Sorry for the mess, but you know?" Taeyong continues, finishing the cake of his plate. "Lee Harin's order is a great opportunity to showcase my style on a bigger scene and she was… ugh, forgive me for this, but so fucking tight in the schedule"

"Yeah, I know that, it's a leap of faith. My outfits have been in the hangers from the past three weeks already" 

That catches Taeyong's attention with an impelling force. 

"And what's going to be, Mister Lee?"

Unrushed, as always, Ten takes a ship. Taeyong can guess his pleased expression under the ceramic of the mug pressing on his perfect lips. 

"You'll see"

"Really? You're not telling me?"

"Why would I? I would never ruin a surprise for you, baby” 

His devilish smile makes an appearance. Taeyong could smack it out of his face. With his lips. On his lips. 

Another thing he had discovered in Ten’s personality, once they met in person, was the frequency in which his lips curl up in every type of smile. It's also in the top ranking to become one of his favorites. They make the tailor frown and laugh at equal parts, and it never feels like he is getting enough of it soon. 

"So how is it going? The work must be a burden for you to go in a self-imposed reclusion" 

"Not really. I mean, yes, it's a mess, stressing and there's a lot to get done, but if I stick to my calendar it will work out. It's just that spring is really a handful in the store and I needed to focus, that's why I came to work from home, I couldn't get anything done if I'm surrounded by bridesmaids and their personal dramas"

"Personal dramas?" 

"It’s not only about the dresses, which are already a lot. It's about fighting with each other for the colors, for the bachelorette party, because one is hooking up with an old friend, the other wants your number…"

Ten laugh purrs like a river stream. It has such an unique melodic sound to it that Taeyong is compelled to smile too when he hears it ring.

"I can tell a lot of them want your number"

"Don't be silly" laughs Taeyong, trying to hide his blush. "It happens once every blue moon" 

"Well, I can't complain, you gave it to me without asking for it so I'm winning" teases Ten, more and more, enjoying the increasing red tone of Taeyong’s face. “So? Still think that marriage in spring is silly?” 

"Fashion wise, it's really silly." Explains Taeyong, surprising the model with his firm sincerity. "Everything is packed in every tailoring shop, and for a big order like custom dresses, besides having to commission it in advance so no one else takes the slot, there would be a big charge to make the tailor accept it and drop other appointments of the season without a money loss" 

"That's actually an intelligent way to think about it, but you are a tailor that knows the handicaps of the business, I guess brides and grooms just want to get their happy day among green and flowers… don't think it's too silly of them"

"You seem defensive" mocks Taeyong, scooping the cream that's left on the cake plate with his finger and licking it off with innocence. "A spring lover?" 

"Is not that, it's that I can see their reasons. Don't you?"

"I guess. I would personally prefer an indoor wedding, it sounds more appealing to me. Maybe in winter, so outside there's snow… a romantic scene and all of that"

"Snow is romantic?" Asks Ten, sounding slightly displeased. Taeyong notices how his nose scrunches up with an adorable gesture, almost as if he had been kissed by a tiny angel. "It’s cold, damp, slippery… makes your body taut…" 

"Yeah but think about it from an indoors perspective" counterattacks Taeyong, as they both get very deep in such debate about wedding timing, which is completely ridiculous, anyways. "It’s cosy. The heat is on inside, and there's the one you love, your family, a delicious meal… and outside everything is white, pure and frozen…"

"Well, it's not like I'm going to get married"

"Never?" 

Okay, maybe Taeyong sounds too surprised with the way he pronounces that one question, not to say he has barely waited one second to shoot it.

He doesn't have Ten as someone particularly cold, nor as the kind of man that has lost all trace of wonder in his life, so he had assumed that he would be… well, interested in romance. 

"I didn’t mean never. I don’t know, just not for the moment"

"Oh…"

"Yeah'

"You seem quite sure, why? Commitment issues?"

"No!" Ten laughs slightly, probably assuming that Taeyong wants to know if he has to cover his back. "But it would be hard for me to build a relationship with someone now"

"Why?" Asks Taeyong, paying no attention to the risks of it. 

Why would he even want to know that? 

Curiosity, maybe. 

"First off, I'm always busy, which will probably be exasperating for someone, having to wait for me all the time. I don't have stability to meet new people that are going to stick around for the long run outside my work field either, and I am a bit quirky too, so it just happens like this" 

"Aren't we all?" Laughs Taeyong, resting importance to the matter to humour Ten, and maybe even himself a bit. "Quirky? As in having flaws and bad habits, I mean. Life would be boring, otherwise" 

"Maybe, yes" 

"As long as the other person's quirks piece with yours, that would be alight"

"That's how I suppose love works"

"You have never been in love?"

Ten gives him a cunnin glance across the kitchen isle. 

"Have _you_?" 

"N-no" he answers, earnestly and a bit too embarrassed of the result. 

Maybe it's the fact that he has tried to measure Ten under some standards that don't even work for himself or maybe it's just the way the model guesses him and catches him on the fly every time, but he feels like he wanta to be swallowed by the erath.

Or perhaps it's Ten’s intense glance across the counter that makes him want to get all his clothes torn off by the model, he doesn’t really know.

What is he insinuating, whatsoever?

It gives him a strange feeling of tingles in his chest when he feels so uncovered in front of him.

"But like… you actually don't oppose the idea"

"Which idea?"

"Love"

"No, not really. That would be a little foolish"

"Then what if you find someone?"

"What?"

"You never know, right? What if in a year you bump into someone that gives you the heartthrob, then what?" 

"Uhmm, I'm not empty, you know? So I guess if that happened, I would like to date. But dating me now is such a mess" he says with a smile that only hides half of his gloom, and that’s slightly concerning. "There is much to take in with me, it's a bit foolhardy"

"Is it so bad?"

"Rumors, news, photographers, comments online… you guess”

“It sounds like it sucks, but I haven't lived it in the flesh”

“Well, and let me add something, I think it’s pretty clear already but I’m very much gay, and that would propell me into every single magazine cover, together with the other person. I know a life like that can be pretty consuming, not everyone is willing to go through that for someone, so I guess that the person in question would have to love me for real for me to actually date, because otherwise they would leave at the first turn" 

"I guess"

"But don't you worry too much about it, Lee Taeyong, right now I have my eyes on you"

"I can't fight against that" says Taeyong, flirty. 

Why would he worry? As Ten had said, he is too busy and looked-upon to get a couple, and he has decided to spoil Taeyong in the meantime. 

That alone sounds fantastic for him. 

Messy, little lasting, lavish, fiery… his style right and left. 

"After all, I mustn't be that bad if you came over here only to see me"

"Well, wouldn't you move too if you could look at a masterpiece again and again?" 

Oh, there it is, the piece of praise Taeyong is yearning for and sets his mood faster than lightning. 

"Me? I'm a masterpiece?"

"Is someone else in this house, Lee Taeyong?"

He bites his lip, wishing he looks as attractive to Ten as that move made him look to other boys before.

"Thankfully no" 

"Oh?" The older one doesn't really know how they manage to spark that thick atmosphere between them every time they meet but he is not against it. Are they really that bored? Is it boredom that makes them think those things about each other to try to escape their routines? Whatever it is, Ten gets up from his seat, pacing carefully towards Taeyong's stool and leaning on the aisle, close to him. "I've got a funny feeling that you mean something with that 'thankfully' part. Thinking some thoughts, sugar?" 

He hums, dramatically tapping his preciously plump lips with the dumbest yet prettiest dramatic reenactment of a natural gesture. 

"A few?" 

"For example?" Presses Ten, his hand traveling over Taeyong's thigh as he moves in between his legs.

"Let me show you" 

Taeyong grabs Ten's wrist and jumps off the stool, making the younger giggle as he almost stumbles when he pushes him out of the kitchen. 

The tailor stops soon enough, turning around in the living room, and Ten almost trips again all over him, but Taeyong stops him hugging his waist. 

"You are the whole rollercoaster ride today, Lee Taeyong"

"I can't keep surviving in cold showers'' he purrs, lacing his fingers behind Ten's neck and wiggling his hips closer to his with his intentions full of mischief. He is still biting his lip with lust. "Feel like kissing me or no?" 

"Are you running out of questions?"

Their coordination is still not quite there, as they don't really tend to go off so suddenly. There’s always something that keeps them back from totally blowing things up, but this time, there isn’t, and the way they end up reaching up for each other is messy and tangled. 

Deliciously messy and tangled.

Their limbs wrap around one another, but they don't care about that in the heat of the moment. Their lips meet with a surprisingly rash kiss that makes Taeyong's nerves bloom with the fresh touch, almost making him topple back on the carpet if it wasn't for the model's hold around his thin waist.

Ten's laugh against his mouth gets him to shove his tongue in, tasting the bitter coffee he just had. He doesn't feel disgusted by it, though. 

Perhaps today he is going to deal with the sour Ten in extension. 

He wasn’t planning to make out with him today, less so considering that they are at his own place and that Taeyong has to work his ass off for the project to come out well, but the heat that radiates from the thai's body feels so sticky, coy and stained with neediness, that Taeyong soon realizes that Ten was right. 

They are too bored of being alone. 

He wonders if he has been pressing himself with completing milestones in his career too hard during all these years, if that’s what makes him so prone to think what he is thinking and feel what he is feeling. There's a chance, a small chance that grows day by day, that his mind is so dull and tired already and the only wishes to come to Taeyong’s mind at this point are that someone can swap that sensation off his hands with the wetness of a tongue tying kiss. 

Maybe it’s only the way Ten smells, like a concoction of a warm shower, fresh air and way too much caffeine; but Taeyong is not thinking with his brain right now, all his decisions are focusing on one spot in between his legs. 

At least he isn’t wearing jeans this time, the sweatpants are going to be much easier to get rid of. 

The older's eyes are close, lips soothing a bite that, on an impulse, he has given to Ten a bit too hard to overcome the erupting need of giving room to his lust. 

Sometimes he forgets that under the shield of rampant sass, Ten is another needy boy, which doesn’t help Taeyong cope with the small sound the model makes when Taeyong's teeth tug a bit from his lip. He is delicious and Taeyong knows that, hands tangling with his hair as their tongues keep dancing and their breath becomes hot and quick. The short pants of the model over his lips are making him go crazy, his face feeling hot like the Sahara desert. 

Ten is busing himself trying to get underneath Taeyong’s shirt, but it’s not difficult, since it’s oversized and so loose over his lean body. In no time, his hands are caressing the small of Taeyong’s back with the pads of his fingers, tracing lines that want him crave something stronger. 

Ten is so gentle that it’s absurd. 

His hands can be really light on his skin if he wants to, his fingertips drawing senseless patterns that light him up in his skin. Taeyong doesn’t think he can be so careful himself, not with that level of detail, like an artist painting on a canvas.

Then Ten moves on to kiss his jaw and his neck, and then back to his lips as if the tailor isn't already wishing to take his top off and let the thai move lower and lick all over his chest and nipples until he doesn’t have a choice but to whin and beg to be fucked. 

He is getting used to his pace, gradually, taking in Ten’s particular liking of open mouthed kisses for everything it came handy instead of jumping right to the next step. 

He is not the one to complain, he is fond of the gesture too. 

The thing is that Ten’s kisses feel… What can be the word? When they are on his lips, they feel lawless and make the older drift.

He takes a big waft of air when the wet sound of their mouths smack on the room and Ten goes back down again, licking a glossy stripe over his throat and attaching his mouth on his neck. As Taeyong gulps, the model can feel the bobbing of his adam's apple, eliciting a quiet laugh that makes Taeyong's skin vibrate with even more pleasure. 

"Ten…"

"Hmm?"

Taeyong pulls down the collar of the models shirt, hoping that Ten grasps the idea of sheer necessity for something a bit more intense and making the thai giggle under his breath even more than before. He knows he is blushing, but his face is hidden soon on Tens shoulder as he kisses the bare skin he has exposed and keeps moving his hips against Ten rubbing their fronts together and creating more of an injury than a relief for it only makes him worked up and not really touched properly. 

Taeyong can feel a liquid feel of arousal seeping in his veins, his desire shooting through him persuasively enough to make him grind his hips against Ten’s own with a drown moan against Tens flesh. 

“Don’t mark me, Lee Taeyong”he whispers, staring down at the older’s complex tongue game, trying to remind him of some basics. "That's the only rule" 

“I won’t” he mutters, barely stopping what he is doing to answer. “Wanna see my room?”

It isn't that difficult to perceive, through the way his lips move and how his words flow, how serious about doing this Taeyong is, getting Ten to pull him closer to his body surrounding him until his hands are resting on his cute butt. Taeyong gasps his skin sparkling with the touches that go up his sides.

He is turnt up, he barely needed the first caresses Ten gave him to ignite, and so his body rolls over him agaiagaim, his hips brushing against him.

“You lead the way”

No need to hear more. 

Taeyong pulls from the front hem of the model's shirt, crossing the living room and a short hallway to a white door.

In a second they enter Taeyong’s dormitory. 

“Is this your room, nor your sister’s?” comments Ten, but Taeyong knows by the accent of his question that he is just teasing him. 

“There’s nothing gendered about a pink room”

It’s not entirely pink, actually, but the white and pink cosy duvet of his bed -that’s still messy from the morning- is entirely baby pink and has cute characters all across it, so the sensation of entering in a cotton candy is stronger than one may consider. 

The walls are white, and the shelves are more in the pale and simple side, as they draw cubes where Taeyong seems to keep accessories, cosmetics, books, comics, a few figurines, and a miscellaneous of other stuff. 

Minimalism doesn’t seem to be suitable for Taeyong. 

The wall by the bed is also sprayed with art prints, a string of fairy lights, polaroids where he is enjoying his life with his friends or taking candids of his creative processes… a rainbowy splash of colors. There's also a rather huge pink bunny plushie close to the bed, but that one, Ten can recognize it from the picture that’s still in his memory. 

He remembers what they talked about when Taeyong sent him that fakery innocent selfie, and it gives him chills, just like the time Taeyong sent it. 

Shit, that’s not it. 

Ten is a grown up man that has made several people pant for him and scratch his shoulder blades with passion asking for more and more already. And he is sure Taeyong has done the same. But yet, never ever he had a moment so hard trying to ignore a libido rush in a wrong moment as much as when Taeyong used that pic to lead him on.

He has something… that’s too much. 

Something that immediately makes Ten develop ideas. And not all of them are mild. None of them.

By the moment Taeyong is about to come back to him, Ten has already taken the chance to lace his arms around his hips, approaching him from his back and sliding his hands down towards the middle of Taeyong’s sweatpants. 

"I- _humph!_ " 

Taeyong forgets about whatever he has been planning to say as Ten grabs the whole package on his palm, sending the tailor gasping way too loud. 

"Sensitive much"

From the corner of his eye, Taeyong can see Ten's lopsided smile appearing when he palms him over the fabric. It makes him blush to have that noticeable bulge already when he didn’t even do much yet to drive him to that state, only kissing him and a bit of touching not lower than his waistband. 

It may be lasting from the past week. Impressive.

"Sorry…"

"About? Being hard for me, baby? Don't be embarrassed, I love it"

"You do?" He asks, angling his head back to lock his eyes with Ten. He has his chin tucked on his shoulder perfectly.

"Yeah, you are very responsive, it’s adorable" he says, planting another arousing kiss on the back of his neck. His voice is dropping lower as he goes. "Since we are in your room… show me your toys?" 

Taeyong’s breath hitches. 

He can't do anything but open his eyes wide when Ten gives a playful and yet hard slap on his plump ass and smirks straight to his face, biting his tongue to not give him a whimper of pure joy. 

Taeyong didn’t remember that he had told Ten that he had adult toys to tease his mood, but everything comes back in a rush, suddenly, and it’s to bite his ass. But he is young, he is horny and Ten is beautiful and interested in his drawer full of porn-worthy items, so he is not even thinking about the option of saying no because it’s so trivial that it’s almost nonexistent. 

Again, he hadn't thought about being fucked today, but damn if he is willing.

"You want to see?" he asks all sure of his words, almost positive of how mostly anything Ten can come up with will be good to him. “Wanna see what I entertain myself with?”

He doesn't want to drool and give up that fast, but Ten would have deserved the gesture.

Taeyong has fallen in a permanent state of neediness for all of him, almost like his dream where no one can put a limit on how nasty it can turn is real. 

"Yeah, I want to see your dark secrets” he answers, and it feels like he is not lying in the slightless. "If you are comfortable, show me"

The younger one shoots him a grin and his eyes get all dark in a way Taeyong had never seen from him, a glance that makes him wonder what Ten made the boys he slept with before do for him.

Ten doesn't feel like someone who gives things in a half-hearted way, and that makes him want it even more, curious of the vivid ways he could put things down his way. The tailor doesn’t know where the line between Ten's real personality and the role-play is, but it looks like the model could boss him around with that attitude if he ever wanted. 

“Okay, good. You have the right to see what I do while I wait for you, no?”

The voice of mischief and arrogance Taeyong uses leaves Ten seeming sincerely impressed. Impressed with how aroused hearing Taeyong become bold makes him. It hits differently… and too good.

The older one opens his drawer then, showing his little collection to Ten that can't suppress a complacent smile seeing all the matching, pale pink items lining inside.

They look so innocent and soft, just like Taeyong, despite their purpose. Just like Taeyong, as well. 

"Would you see that now?" Sings Ten. 

Honestly, he didn’t expect that much variety. His eyes explored thoroughly which are the things that make his curiosity morph into arousal. 

There’s a couple of butt plugs, all of them different in shape and size, something he supposes it’s a couple handcuffs, rope, a blindfold, a chord with a triad of pink beads, a heart-shaped whip… he gets specially troubled with that last one. 

Thinking about a hit like that makes the model wobbled with a chill. 

"Lee Taeyong…" he croons again, swinging the older one’s body between his arms with an amused tone. His hot breath fanning accidentally over his neck makes Taeyong's skin tremble, for Ten teases him even when he doesn't try. However, it doesn't get better when he picks the long silicone thing with a globular shape and a ring at the end of a silicone strap. "What do we have here?" 

He knows Ten can see him blush, because he is very close to him and smooches his cheek as an encouragement to speak, but he doesn't care, he likes that Ten likes him that way without having to pretend he is not having a struggle. 

"That's… a ring butt plug" 

"Cute"

"Cute?" He laughs, surprised by the appellative Ten uses for it. "That's what it looks like to you?"

"Oh, I mean, on you? Or _in_ you, to be more accurate? Sure" 

Taeyong gives him a look over his shoulder, finding the courage he needs to hold the other end of the toy he is holding in the hot spark inside his eyes. 

"Want me to show you how I make it look?"

“Baby, I would l-”

Seeing Ten lose his cool is not the thing that happens to him everyday, but the thai really jumps, surprised with the very loud and long ring of the doorbell cutting up his intimate act of lust. 

“Ugh, whatever it is can wait”

“I agree” nods Ten, gently and slowly putting his hands on his hips and making the tailor turn around to face him. The fact that he is not tossing him around doesn’t mean his eyes don’t look like a rift open to hell, in which Taeyong dips willingly to drink from that sweet liquor that impregnates his underbreath voice. “I have an important business with you” 

He is inches away from Taeyong’s lips and ready to gain an advantage over them, leaving the older man no room to escape as his arms lean on the shelf behind him passing at his sides. 

But the doorbell rings again. 

Taeyong scrunches his nose, visibly annoyed. 

He clasp his hands on Ten’s hips and pushes him closer, as if that’s going to quiet down the loud noise taking over his house. 

The model is amused, as per usual, Taeyong knows it because he sees the unavoidable smile on his lips as they shorten the already minuscule space in between them and their tongues twist and lace with each other’s, getting Taeyong to almost mewl with excitement. They are a couple of messy kissers that get all sloppy and moist with spit, the damp sounds riding up to Taeyong’s head so he can feel the obscene sensations pooling on his lower stomach making him crave more. 

He feels how Ten’s hands drip down slowly from under his ribcage to his sides and his waist, precise as they touch Taeyong’s body, dragging the longing to settle inside the older and last on fire for a while, finally reaching his hips and moving under his t-shirt. God, Taeyong wants to push him onto his messy bed right now.

“Lee Taeyong!” goes off the person who’s outside the house. Recognizing the tone of his friend makes Taeyong even more annoyed if possible. “I know you are home, your mother told me! I know you are busy and don’t like to make pauses when you are working, but we need to talk!”

“Johnny, for fuck’s sake! Not now!”

Ten’s giggle this time clashes against his eager mouth, pulling back just enough to give him his lofty glance. “He is committed when it comes to you, isn’t he?” 

"He is just a stubborn idiot" he comments, already lifting the hem of Ten's t-shirt. “But this is about us right now so put me where you want, baby”

“What if-”

"Taeyong!" Continues Johnny. "Come on, open the door, you could use a break from that dress!"

“For fuck’s sake”

"You are seriously being really inopportune!" roars the tailor, nails scratching slightly onto Ten's honey skin at his hips while the model kisses the soft flesh under Taeyong's jaw and sinks his teeth on his collar, making Taeyoung mewl in between the odd conversation with his friend. "Come later" 

"I know I have upset you, and I am sorry" says Johnny. That makes the tailor sigh, a bit touched and almost blush because of the glance Ten gives to him, inquisitive and almost looking more fiery from the lower angle he has acquired. Whatever he is thinking must not be far from growing greedy, for he bites harder on Taeyong, who whimpers and throws his head back to leave him access "My comment was out of place and I'm really really proud of you for your hard work. I really need to tell you something and have a talk"

"Johnny, don't worry, I'm not mad it's just… _shit_ , it's not the moment"

"Dammit, you stupid work addict, I don't care. I know the door's password, I'm coming"

“Don’t!”

"Allow me, little one" mumbles Ten, pushing him back gently with his hand on his chest. “I have something to say”

For a second, Taeyong is lost in the way that new pet name- of which he has many already- hits with the given fact that Ten is basically the same height as him, so he half misses the way the model lets go of his embrace, tosses the toy he had been holding onto the bed and gives a few steps towards the front door.

Wait, what?

Taeyong hurries up and follows after him with his eyes wide, but Ten has already walked ahead, and crossing the hallway, he yanks the front door open with more force than it needs.

Outside, there's Johnny with his hands to the password pad and a shocked expression on his face that quickly turns into disdain as he stares down at Ten's half disheveled appearance. 

"Oh. You"

"Me, indeed" signs Ten, self-confident. Taeyong has frozen in the middle of the hall, and he is watching the scene from behind Ten’s back, but something in the way the thai sounds tells him that he has the same expression than Johnny, or at least a similar one. "I gotta say that I am starting to take a dislike to you" 

"Good for you. You seem to be everywhere lately”

“I could say the same about you, but I didn’t come unrequested, you know? I asked Taeyong first”

“Want a trophy?”

“Won’t consider to call it like that, but yes, and I don’t really need you to come here to give it to me, I can manage by myself”

“I bet you can, right? It’s all you wanna do”

“Are you done assuming stuff or do I keep waiting for you to say something brilliant that is worth my time?”

“The heck do you think you are, you little s-”

"Hey" calls out Taeyong, looking straight at his new coming friend with a hard edge in his eyes. "Tone it down, the two of you" 

His sight goes to Ten at the end of the sentence so the model gives out a comprehensive sigh, looking at Taeyong with some leftover of his tenderness. 

He must really dislike it when someone tries to take away his lollipops.

"Sorry, babe" 

Johnny directs a glance to Ten scrunching his nose, but soon enough Taeyong catches his eye with the snap of his fingers.

"What's wrong with you?"

The tallest steps inside the house, not really wanting to include the whole block in their discussion. He is barely able to share it with anyone to make it even more public. 

Ten gets the message, closing the door again and crossing his arms over his chest.

"What's wrong?" repeats Taeyong. 

"We need to talk"

"I figured that out. Ten figured that out. My neighbours figured that o-"

"Okay, I got it" cuts Johnny. "Don't need the shade, I'm sorry if I interrupted or whatever"

He doesn't miss the quick exchange of gazes that happens between his friend and the model and ends with Ten rolling his eyes and giving a small smile.

"I should be leaving, Mark is blowing up my phone with warnings about me not missing the photoshoot, and Jaehyun is going to stab my eye with a brush if I cancel the makeup test for the Fashion Week at this time of the week already so... See you there, I guess?"

"Y-... Hold on. It's ten days until that date now"

"Yes" says Ten, absolutely aware of the reason behind Taeyong's eyes getting bigger than the moon. He tilts his head to the side, actually endeared. Taeyong could have almost everything he wanted with those eyes. "You have a crazy schedule with Harin and an outfit to choose for yourself, and I have a ton of compromises with my staff. Things are not clicking to see you sooner than that"

"It’s a lot of time" he whines, way too cute to keep Ten from smiling. 

"I know, but you can pass without me"

"I can but…" he lets the phrase unfinished. 

He can't complete it, not in front of Johnny, not when his friend is looking so lost as he registers their conversation like the most stupid version of Sherlock Holmes. 

_But I don’t want to, dammit._

"You can still text me when you have a break, babe. And remember to eat something too, uh? I recommend energy to deal with the night"

Taeyong smiles, as Ten picks up his huge bag and hangs it on his shoulder. 

"I will, don't baby me. Is it going to be… harsh? I mean, to deal with the night" 

"Not harsh, maybe just a bit… intense and livid"

"Harsh doesn't scare me, tho"

Ten smiles. "I know well, I will take it into account. See you there?"

"Saturday, 7pm, door B7" 

"Perfect memory, sugar, I'm looking forward to it" 

Taeyong smiles self-satisfied with Ten's nod. 

Good and pretty, his brand. 

They are quite close now, both of them looking at each other in that different manner that is not only friendly but something more tense, wondering how to manage their state. 

Taeyong's lips are still plump and fleshy against the cold air of the room, he becomes self-conscious of it when Ten's eyes take a brief moment to stare at them. 

Johnny, still in front of the door and almost glued to it, clears his throat a bit at the sight, and the situation makes Taeyong learn, inherently, that Ten does exactly the opposite of what people press him to do. 

The model hooks his arm behind Taeyong’s back, pushing him against his chest to leave an especially slow, open kiss over his surprised and slightly parted lips. 

It's not hard to figure out where that kiss comes from, so he throws a reproaching glance at Ten before he leaves. Yet, he can't hide that deeper than the surface, it pleases him to be kissed goodbye like that and greeted with the smug smirk of Ten, perfectly knowing what he has done. 

"Bye-bye, _princess_ "

"Later, Mister Lee"

When the door closes again, Johnny sizzles. 

"What a sweetie" he says, sarcasm dripping from every word of the short comment.

"He is, tho" 

"How?"

"He is fun? Respectful? Kind?" 

"Marry him?"

"We still have a problem deciding a date, but I'll note your wish and send you a card" spits Taeyong shamelessly in front of Johnny's tone. 

Perhaps he is a bit frustrated and annoyed with his friend, he can't lie. 

Taeyong usually doesn't bite back that hard, so Johnny purses his lips. Maybe he is letting everything get a bit too deep, but that's why he is there in the first place. 

The tallest exhales, trying to grasp a calmer tone. "So… he visits you often?" 

"He keeps me busy" answers Taeyong, a bit vague. "Distracts me in a playful way, you know?"

“Yeah, I got the subtlety” answers Johnny, still annoyed. "You like him?" 

Taeyong is having a deja-vu with this question and honestly, that's not going to help him in the ten days he has to wait for Ten if he is going to be thinking not only in his pants but in the questions that were already in his head since Jungwoo brought them out. 

Does he like Ten?

Well, he is always so hectic to see him, laughs with him and finds him cute. Then there's the fact of his interesting ideas and his apparent support of Taeyong’s goals.

He knits his eyebrows, brooding over it. 

_Does he?_

"What happened, what do you need to talk about?" He asks, quickly, trying to run away from the confusion. “Is it so fucking urgent?”

"Jungwoo"

"Oh… didn't you two meet yesterday at his?" Asks Taeyong, playing a little dumb. That's the favorite game of his group of friends, apparently.

"Yeah"

"So?"

"He kissed me. We kissed"

Taeyong doesn't even have to fake the half surprised and half interested expression that forms on his features with the way Johnny puts it. 

He inhales and exhales deeply, placing all his knowledge about the situation in the correct order after getting his brain messy with the make-out season with Ten. He is still annoyed with that but he needs to know what happened between his friends for the common wellbeing of their group. 

"Okay, that can pass as urgent, I guess. Let's go to the living room, I need to sit to hear about this"

"Cool, I need to sit to explain it. Might take me awhile" 

Is not that Taeyong's house is huge, so they are there in no time, both sitting sideways on the couch looking at each other, just like they have always done whenever one of them needed support. It didn't matter where they were or what the problem was, Taeyong has always known that Johnny would have his back, and there’s nothing he can do but to give the same love to his friend and lend him a helping hand when he needs help. 

Taeyong had told Jungwoo not to overdo anything and just kiss Johnny if he really was feeling like that's what the moment required, but maybe he had misjudged Jungwoo’s eagerness to get to it. Sometimes, Taeyong guesses, you want to kiss someone so badly that you do it despite being in your mother's shop. 

Or maybe the moment really called for it.

"You and Jungwoo kissed. Okay…”

“Okay? That’s your reaction?”

Taeyong smiles. “I’m surprised, but it’s not like it’s a tragic piece of news. He kissed you, and so?" 

"Well, I don't know"

"You don't know?" Says Taeyong, incredulous. 

"No, I don't. That's why I'm here, I can’t digest this, I feel… weird"

Taeyong scratches the back of his head. He doesn't know how to move in this conversation pretending he doesn't know half of the deal, and Johnny's response has made him actually confused. 

"What do you feel weird about? Why did you kiss anyways?" He asks, trying to act dumb. It's getting more difficult to do so lately, but he does try. "What happened between you two?"

"I… was having a rough time after… you know"

Taeyong pulls up his eyebrows. "No, Johnny, I don't know, because I wasn't there" 

That's not a lie, he doesn’t know about that secret part where Johnny feels down, but he must be about to find out, for Johnny takes a deep breath that means nothing good in this context and locks his eyes with Taeyong’s.

Here they go, down. 

"Because it's weird to me that you are dating Ten"

"I'm not dating Ten" quickly corrects Taeyong like an automatic pilot. 

"Whatever” responds Johnny, taking him back to the actually important part of his statement. “Dating, seeing, fucking, it doesn't really matter to me because it's the same burn, and it hurts so bad"

"Oh…oh… Johnny, I-"

"I know you know it" Johnny pauses for a brief moment to check out Taeyong's expression. One (Jungwoo) lets go of his secrets and they all suddenly have to start uncovering theirs in consequence like a butterfly effect, yet Taeyong doesn't open his mouth to deny his knowledge, so the taller man carries on before he opens his mouth and cuts down the flow of his courage. "And I knew Jungwoo knew it too, so I told him because I needed to get it out of my chest for once, I needed to share it with someone to go over it or maybe to make myself feel better, I don’t know. You have been there with other people before, I know, but Ten...I swear, he really gets on my nerves"

"Why even?" 

"Because you have been talking about a man like him for ages, I guess. Like, it was literally him who you talked about, of course it feels too real now, like I can’t pretend you are going to grow tired of him and send him off" 

That makes Taeyong speechless. He can't argue with that, Ten has been quite the standard for him since at least two years ago, but he hadn’t stopped to think about it from that angle where Ten is his ideal type. That’s what people talk about when they say there’s an ideal type that matches you perfectly? He had thought that’s a bit absurd, but oh boy. 

Then, he stops and tries to rewind the conversation in his mind to guess what sounded off apart from the fact that he may be thinking now about some particular effects of getting to know Ten that he is ignoring.

It quickly falls back in place. 

"Wait," he utters. "You told Jungwoo that you were pissed off because of me and Ten?"

"I didn't say it was him, if that’s what bothers you. I kept you the secret because you asked me to do it, I wouldn’t-"

"No, you airhead" cuts Taeyong, making Johnny's eyes go wider at the facility of the snap. "You told him that? That you like me? You said that to his face?" 

"I said… I said I was hurt because I know for a fact that we are hopeless, and that I hoped that I could move on. Then he told me that I could move on, and then he kissed me! I thought he was taking pity on me, so I told him he didn't need to force himself to distract me, but he got mad at me so I just…" Johnny begins to doubt how to wrap up, as Taeyong's face has grown into a skeptical grimace that calls the talles dumb by itself. "Now you really are giving me the same face he gave me, and I don't know what the heck did I do so wrong!" 

Taeyong sighs.

He knows he can't be condescending with his friend because he genuinely doesn't know where he fucked up at, that if he knew he wouldn't have put the foot on there. Barely any time, Johnny has bad intentions, especially towards his friends. 

He drags his butt across the sofa and puts his hand over Johnny's to offer some comfort. 

“Jungwoo and you…” he begins, but then he stops. That’s too fast for the state Johnny is at, so he tries another approach. "Did you even dislike it?"

"Dislike what?"

"The kiss, you dumbass" 

"I… it was…" Johnny hesitates, trying to elaborate his words to express his inner turmoil, so overwhelming that he hasn’t probably stopped to meditate on the part where he isn’t into Taeyong and he is just being kissed. The ghost of a smile appears on his lips. At least he is trying to understand what's going on in his world. "Soft"

"Soft?" Asks Taeyong with a smile, leaning on his palm. 

It's a start.

Johnny chuckles too. His big appearance is nothing when he gets flustered and one of his guffaws to accompany his gummy smile.

"Soft. And a bit tingly"

"Ooooh, come on, you liked it, don’t even try to deny it"

"It wasn't bad"

"Soft and tingly" mocks Taeyong, mimicking a dumb voice that makes Johnny playfully hit his shoulder. "Sounds like it's more than not bad"

“I told you once that his lips looked supple, I guess I was right”

“Listen to yourself, this is…” Taeyong sinks his face on his palm with a chuckle. It’s somewhat funny to see Johnny act like this and not notice the things that are going on in his heart. And to think that he had to send Ten off in the middle of their very delicious encounter for this makes him bitterly amused. He is doomed to live desiring him without even getting a bite, it’s so ridiculous. “Why do you even say you feel weird, then? It’s not like he asked you to get naked and hula dance” 

"I don't know, I am comfortable with him, but I want that if someone kisses me, if _Jungwoo_ kisses me, I want it to be because he feels like it, not because I am looking pathetic and he feels obligated to make me feel better no matter what"

Not that’s a whole different reason that finally gets Taeyong to go “aah” and nod. After all, it seemed like the poor Jungwoo had a very bad timing. 

"You are not pathetic, you are like the coolest man ever" says Taeyong, giving him a reassuring smile and a pat on his thigh. "And you know who knows that?"

"Who?" asks the taller one with soft eyes. 

Taeyong smiles. He knows he is not going to say what Johnny wants to hear right now, but he really needs to hear this one. 

"Jungwoo"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	12. Fashion Week

There is one thing clear for Taeyong, and that is that the absorbing job of working for hours in a private commission is really time and energy consuming, but so it's being a model or worker of such invited to an important fashion event. 

Gradually, in the three appointments he had with Lee Harin in the spawn of ten days, the woman had appeared to be more worried every time, not to mention the tiredness on her face. 

Taeyong knew it was normal to feel like that when you have all your stakes depending on the creation that came from that project, handled by a rookie designer with big hopes and ambitions, but it was nerve-racking, nonetheless, despite everything going on smoothly. 

She had seemed to love the design when she saw it, the measurements had been right and only needed a couple of adjustments in their first try. With a couple of sleepless nights, they had added an extra appointment to check that the design and elements were perfectly placed, balanced and suited her style, everything piercing just right at the end. 

It had been honestly extenuating, but when Friday came, Taeyong handed the neatly packed outfit with all the accessories in a precious custom made box that was worthy the extra price just for the post that Harin had released later on into his very busy instagram account with the most careful placement of the box and Taeyong’s handwritten note in a fuzzy background with the appealing lightning and a lovely caption of hers. 

**[LiliHarin]: I’m so excited to show you this, guys. It’s a surprise I can’t tell you about just yet, but only by looking at how pretty the box is you can take a guess of how much better the content is! Thank you so much @tyong_lty for taking care of me so well despite the busy date. XOXO.**

Who would have said that he had wanted to try out a defenestration with Harin for a second when they first met, she was really sweet and nice, and the publication gave Taeyong another good chunk of followers and a few nice comments on his works that lifted his mood like a rocketship. 

The mood is nice, overall, so why is Taeyong so heckin’ nervous?

It may be the fact that that piece is going to be the first impression that many people get from his style, or that he is finally going to watch the display of important designer's challenging innovations in person. 

Or, as the last option in the variety of things that can crush his insides, that he has a blatant date with Ten Lee in the most promising night and place he had been invited to so far. 

They had been exchanging messages for the entire week, saying good morning and often good night, having small talk, mostly. And yeah, between the pictures of Ten's cats and a couple of selfies, there was a specially mouth-watering nude on the pink water of a bathtub from a day Taeyong had taken a relaxing bath and felt inspired with himself, but he had been busy enough, weighed down with work, to get too horny during their time separated.

And so had been Ten, running up and down behind his Personal Assistant to prepare every possible interview or whatever models like him were required to do at those events if not participating in the catwalk line-up. 

His cold absence has been noticeable, but now, knowing that it's already Saturday and that the clock is ticking, being in front of his room’s shelves trembling like a leaf while he picks up too many of his cosmetics… the heat of the beginning of the summer starts falling over Taeyong. 

He is sure of what he has chosen to wear, especially because he has been thinking about it way too deep and doing research about the brand and the concept, changing ideas and going back to some other about a hundred times. At least, he has reached a point where he knows that his outfit is not only going accordingly with the event… it's also an invitation. 

From his part to his very exclusive recipient. 

He scrolls in the chatroom with Ten once more to go over what he said, just in case he is hallucinating or missing something during his adrenaline rush momentum. 

[17:27] Ten 🔥: princess 

The mere usage of that nickname is a clue already. 

[17:27] Ten 🔥: you are quiet~ 

[17:27] Ten 🔥: nervous?

[17:29] Babyboy 💕: tbh? yes

[17:29] Ten 🔥: ah, don't be

[17:29] Ten 🔥: just enjoy the show, don't miss the fun of it for thinking too hard about what would happen, you know?

[17:30] Babyboy 💕: i know, but anticipation always makes my stomach all unsettled 

[17:31] Ten 🔥: of course, your impatience is rampant 

[17:31] Ten 🔥: been there, seen that 😌

[17:32] Ten 🔥: guess i'm seeing a bit of that tonight too

[17:32] Babyboy 💕: where do u wanna meet?

[17:32] Ten 🔥: OOOH 👀

[17:32] Ten 🔥: that was fast Lee Taeyong 

[17:32] Babyboy 💕: do you want me to act coy?

[17:33] Babyboy 💕: thought u liked when im good, honest, vocal...

[17:33] Babyboy 💕: daddy

He added in that way to call Ten because he had retained very strongly in his mind the reaction that that name had elicited from the model the only other time he tried it out.

He was storing that as an emergency weapon.

[17:34] Ten🔥: good start, lee taeyong 

[17:34] Ten🔥: heating me up already

[17:34] Ten🔥: you know what I mean don't you?

[17:34] Babyboy 💕: i do i do i do~ 

[17:34] Ten🔥: i have to film a small q&a at 8:40pm

[17:34] Ten🔥: party is upstairs

[17:34] Ten🔥: let's see each other when I'm done?

[17:34] Babyboy 💕: pretty please 

Taeyong breath falters. 

It's obvious that they are heavily hinting that the night must end in a certain way, why does Taeyong feel like it's only a wild, wet fantasy of his?

He’s there, standing on the last place Ten had been kissing and touching him, making him feel hot with only a few touches and teaching him without even trying, that the moment Ten got really down to it, Taeyong would melt into a puddle of moans. 

Well, he doesn't have time to get hard on their silly exchange of words nor the wicked game they have going on, he needs to shower and get dressed now if he doesn't want to be late for everything he wants to see, and it’s a lot. 

When did he become so needy that he goes semi over a few heavy words typed on a chat? Is he back to high school? No touching, no porn; only a few words, imagination and his memory. 

However, he is breathing heavy and wishing the night is ominous enough to not let Ten just give him a pinch. Because yes, he hasn't been able to stop replaying his lewd scenes with him in his brain since he woke up knowing it was Saturday. Sure, sucking him off and the manual works on the backseat of his car was sex, but it was still so far from what Taeyong  _ wants _ .

He has to be real, he wants it, craves it, and so he can't just have a bit.

It had taken him all the strength in the universe to let Ten go that afternoon, ten days ago, when Johnny came over. 

It can sound selfish, but he wished Ten had been just a little bit more possesive over him so he could have pretended he didn't have another choice but to close the door to Johnny, turn around and let Ten have him on his bed. 

Ten was right, Taeyong just wanted him to do the hard part so he could feel like the angel he clearly isn’t, but he is pissed enough with Johnny to not feel guilty about it. 

The mirage of Ten playing with him and his toys just works him up even more and, suddenly, as he wakes up from his momentary, pre-shower blackout, he finds his hand wrapped around the drawer's handle with an idea crossing his mind. 

It's bad, it is certainly kind of bad, but no one would know. He would have an exemplary behaviour, an admirable one, so that no one could notice what he did. 

Only Ten. 

He opens the drawer slowly, as if he is fearing to be caught, but thrilled by his own idea.

He finally turns to the bathroom, carrying all the necessary items for the perfect night of his dreams in a pile. There’s fine underwear, tight black pants, his perfect see-through shirt with embroidered daisies that he had designed back then and still loves, a black choker with a long stripe that should cascade alongside his pale neck and, between all the layers of clothing, his pink plug with a ring.

Perhaps Ten just had seen the potential in Taeyong at first sight, but however it was, he must be spot on with the tailor and his masochist tendency for pleasure.

He just can't believe himself for going this far, blushing as he got in the shower and opened the water tap, because he definitely likes the idea to much and he only needed someone worth the time and fun enough to pull this card out. Well, is not like Taeyong hasn’t been playing with his toys before, nor that he hasn’t shared them with a few other boys, but this time feels too much better. The added risk of being super secretive about what he has with Ten, the place he is supposed to go to, the extra luxury of the outfits… makes him too keen. 

He lets the warm rain of the shower fall over him and ease up the tension his muscles have been accumulating through days of overworking for Lee Harin, finally able to get the commission on time at the limit.

His bank account was glad, that’s for sure. 

In the middle of the steamy screens of the shower, Taeyong finds himself leaning back on the wall as if trying to find himself something cold to help his mind being collected, but there's none of that. 

He has one rule engraved in his mind, and although it's getting harder to comply as days pass, the time only makes him more convinced of not doing anything to oppose it. At this point he only has to wait some hours more to get indulged, so he is becoming more fond of the game dynamics. 

He is excited, more than he should, but his dick is still soft enough to make the pink ring slide all the way down to the base of his dick and past his balls to create a blissful kind of pressure and restrain all around him, but that's the easy part. 

The hard part is to get the rest of the toy in its place. 

Taeyong liked himself some rough treatment in his spicy moments, but shoving the whole plug inside himself would be a little too much. He can't push all inside just like that, it would be too painful and nothing pleasurable, which was absolutely not the point.

Almost hesitant, he reaches his hand back, rubbing his skin from the small of his back down to the middle of his cheeks. The heat of the water and the anticipation of the evening have made his flesh tender, and his muscles a bit looser, as he expected, and although the slickness of waters is not the most ideal one to do this, his fingertip goes around the puckering ring of muscle, gently, once and then twice, again and again several times more with the wet glide. He shouldn’t take too long doing this, for it only would make him suffer more, but at this rate he is not sure of whether he hates that continence. 

As his finger keeps circling and teasing his hole, the shivers run through his entire body. Even though he is barely touching himself and that he definitely wants to do much more than prepping his ass, it already feels too good. His renewed love for building up anticipation is killing him, making him feel more and more intense.

His hips raise from the wall mindlessly when he finally pushes the first finger up inside himself, and his body rumbles against the tiles of the shower with a shudder.  The feeling of the slight resistance just before his muscles give in to the intrusion forces a small gasp from Taeyong, immediately craving something larger as he shoves it entirely deep.

He can’t help the chill, sucking up another gasp as just one thought comes to his mind, louder than a bomb: he is cheating.

He is cheating because it's Ten who should be doing this. 

Before his mind can decide what he thinks about his own instinctive occurrence, Taeyong feels a twitch on his body that gives him the hint. All his flesh is at edge, he can’t even feel the shame from growing aroused with explicit fantasies about his crush of years, just because as he thinks about it he knows that the model would probably be beyond pleased with the effect he has on Taeyong. 

He pulls his lonely digit out, knowing that at this point one finger can’t barely do anything to him, curling and twitching two inside him instead. The sensation changes a lot, spreading him open more bluntly. 

Maybe he is going to run a bit late, after all, he decides that when a quiet whimper leaves his mouth. 

Yeah, Ten would love that. 

The water falling from the shower is extremely hot, but Taeyong can't mind that because he is going hectic with the way he is starting to finger himself, hips circling as he pumps in and out, knowing well where to press and touch to make himself satisfied. 

Ten would love that. He is going to love that. 

Taeyong has to pull out after some minutes and remind himself he is not supposed to be taking it so far yet, that this is only meant to prepare the way. His take of air is heavy, his fingers shake as his hand reaches between his thighs to take the knobby part of the toy and line it up with his hole.

"Mmm…" 

Ten. He would love that. He would. 

He pushes the tip of the stretchy silicone plug a bit too hard, lined up with his playful entrance, but he needs to end this as soon as possible if he even intends to last longer than a few minutes more. 

The first half of the toy, as it's thinner, gets sucked in easily in his prepared hole. Taeyong's palm smashes against the glass screen, printing his hand on the steam like it's the Titanic movie scene, but he is getting already tipsy. 

He hears his own chuckle mixed with a pant. 

_ Shit _ .

Why can't he stop thinking about him? Why is the outfit and the show growing more irrelevant under the mere thought of knocking things off with Ten? 

He wants him all over the place. 

He wants him in that shower doing what Taeyong is doing alone. 

He knits his eyebrows and catches another breath, fingers pressing on the base of his little adult toy a bit more, fighting with the delicious resistance of his walls as the plastic stretches him so well that his bottom lip stings when he bites a moan down pretty hard. 

Taeyong doesn't want to be as pathetic to moan  _ his _ name when he is not even around. 

Once it's fully inside, he feels so filled up by the beads inside him that his chest goes up and down fast and his legs wobble. His opening feels stretched by the rather thin base, and every inner surface in his ass feels caressed by the smooth material of the plug. 

The spark of extra sensitivity makes him blink under pressure one moment more before he closes the water tab. 

He really needs to get dressed.

When he steps out from the shower, the slight weight from his body leaning on the lower floor makes him jolt, the tension of the semi-rigid material of the toy grazing against his perineum with a pleasant and tortuous accompaniment. 

He has done it to himself but he will resist it for the major cause that is getting Ten to toe the edge of glory. 

Dramatic, he knows, but what’s a fashion event for? 

He blow dries his rather long hair, trying to style it nicely and give an smooth look that makes the dye shine like in a field of wheat, he parts it in the middle and tucks the front locks behind his ears, pinning it down with some daisy shaped hairpins that make him look like a fairy. 

He dries his skin well, a soft aroma of soap ascending from every inch, and gets inside of his underwear and his pants, not without a choked out breath when he slides everything inside and closes the zip and button feeling the restrain again. 

Then, he wears the shirt, buttoning it up but the first three buttons. 

He loves how he looks on it, his skin is a shadow under the dark and light material, but it lingers there, inviting with the toned lines of his chest, his nipples, his stomach and belly button. He brushes the fabric flat over his tummy and tucks the hems inside to show his thin waist. 

The choker goes around his neck, not tight enough to make more trouble get into his system, but giving a special interest toward his collar.

For the makeup it’s just a light bb cream and concealer to cover his blemishes, and he brushes some dark shimmer on his eyelids, just to make them shine with the changes of light. His lips are plump and pink enough to not need a lot if going for a faux-innocent look, so he just pulls out a lip gloss from the cabinet and applies a thick coat of the strongly strawberry-scented liquid. It has very small flakes of glitter that throw shines when he smiles at his reflection in the mirror. 

For a second, he wants to send a picture to Ten with a lewd, naughty caption, but he refrains. 

Patience.

He snaps a selfie, anyways, throwing a peace sign and an atractively dumb expression for his chat with friends, where he sends it. 

[18:57] TY: concept for today? Pretty flower 

[18:57] Doie: my god, TY… 

[18:57] Doie: you look amazing for real 😳

[18:58] Snoopy: WHO DAT B!?

[18:58] Snoopy: that ain’t only love for fashion bro wtf

[18:58] Snoopy: Mister X be having fun tonight?

[18:59] TY: hope so 😇

[18:59] Snoopy: ????!!!!

[18:59] Snoopy: spill the tea??!!

[19:00] Johnny: holy shit, Taeyong 😳

[19:00] Doie: Mister X? 👀

[19:00] Snoopy: that’s how we call him now because we don’t know who this idiot be banging

[19:00] TY: that's how YOU call him

[19:00] Snoopy: oh, of course, you sure call him daddy in your case lmao

[19:00] Doie: Why not tell us? I wanna know, you bitchass

[19:01] TY: i have my reasons 

[19:01] Snoopy: but say

[19:01] Snoopy: you guys are meeting tonight?

[19:03] TY: he invited me, Jungwoo, i said it

[19:03] Snoopy: you IMPLIED it, we needed confirmations

[19:03] Doie: man, steal him 

[19:03] Snoopy: u really dressed up up for him tho

[19:03] Snoopy: bet he is hot like a ring of hell 

[19:05] TY: 😌🤫

[19:05] TY: he is~

[19:06] Doie: Or that he likes him a lot

[19:06] Doie: I need details on this dude, honestly 

[19:06] Snoopy: or that TY has his game really on tonight

[19:07] Johnny: I am in for the option that Taeyong actually likes him 👁👄👁

[19:07] Doie: wait, you are?

[19:07] Snoopy: you are?

[19:07] Snoopy: seriously?

[19:07] Johnny: yeah, look at him pulling out all of that 😏

[19:08] Doie: Are you keeping info from us, Suh?

[19:08] Doie: Come on y'all, i wanna know

[19:08] Snoopy: me too! 

[19:08] Snoopy: let's meet tomorrow for breakfast and you tell us how it goes uh?

[19:08] Doie: I got the morning shift 🙃

[19:08] Johnny: fuck that, Doie, stop working so much, hang a fucking paper on you door that you are having a free day

[19:09] Snoopy: Yuta can manage well by himself for a couple of hours, just come with us

[19:09] Johnny: let's annoy TY together

[19:09] Doie: okay, deal

[19:09] Doie: just for a day because i wanna annoy him 

[19:10] TY: 🙄🙄

[19:10] TY: deal

[19:10] Snoopy: everyone 10am at Juliettas 

[19:10] Snoopy: who’s late gets to pay

[19:10] Snoopy: not looking at anyone, Suh 

[19:11] Johnny: shut up your annoying

[19:11] Snoopy: make me 😘

[19:11] Doie: 🤔

After that, he pockets his phone. 

He is suspicious about things that were said, too, but he'll get to it when he is not about to run late to the beginning of a new opportunity. 

"Oh my god, Yongie!" Exclaims his mother as he goes out of the bathroom with small steps at first, for some reason that’s threatening with hitting a concrete spot when he makes it move inside him. She gets close to him to try and fix the collar of the shirt, he supposes that trying to make him look more classy, but he knows that she knows, deep down, that there's no use in the kind of style he uses for business. "You look very nice, a bit revealing but…"

"I will be fine, mom"

"I know, I know, I'm just so proud of you!" She claims, hugin his son that can't help but smile. 

"I need to go, I am a bit late" 

“Do you need me to take you there?”

“It’s okay, I’m taking a cab, it’s not so far from here”

"Are you going to be home for dinner?"

Taeyong pauses. He doesn't know too well about that, Ten has not stated anything about having dinner together or anything, but he supposes that agreeing to meet after 8 is already a clue. 

Does he even plan to spend the night somewhere else that's not his home? 

He has to make a decision while his mother looks but it's not so easy to find out.

"Don't worry about me, have dinner yourself and I will find my way around the night"

"But are they going to give you dinner?"

“Probably they will offer appetizers and all of that, remember? Don’t worry, really, I promise I will eat well”

“You better, Lee Taeyong. Be careful, yes?” 

"Mom, I am 25, don't worry about your son so much”

"You are still my baby"

"I know" 

"Okay, go and have fun. Send greetings for Mister Lee in my behalf if you see him"

"If" says Taeyong, unable to hold down the giggle. "I will" 

“And remember your mother, uh? Tell them to share the good pictures of you so I can put one on the living room”

“Mom, no one is going to take pictures of me, I’m just a guest”

“You never know!”

“Okay, if I see any photographer sneaking on me I will give them my number” gives up Taeyong, knowing that his mother has really entered the mom status and that she is going on a rush of pride for his same career son. “I tell you all about the party when I'm back"

“You better!” 

*******

[19:45] TY: this is so !!!

[19:45] TY: SO

[19:45] TY: GREAT

[19:45] Snoopy: Want all the details

[19:45] Snoopy: It’s Park Seojoon attending?

[19:46] Doie: HAHAHAHA park seo joon? 

[19:46] Snoopy: its an actor 

[19:46] Doie: I know who he is, who hasn't watched What's wrong with Secretary Kim?

[19:46] Doie: But I didn’t know you like him lol 

[19:46] Johnny: i would say you like him too, Dons 😂 

[19:47] Snoopy: I like him

[19:47] Snoopy: I like tall and broad man u know 😌 thought that was clear 

[19:47] Doie: subtlety at its best 

[19:48] Johnny: ...

[19:48] Johnny: so like… how's the ambience, TY? 

[19:48] Doie: run, coward, run 

[19:49] TY: it's so much to handle ueiekfine

[19:49] TY: idk what to do with myself 😱

[19:49] TY: where to go first 

[19:49] TY: i was watching all the people arrive and the photocalls and all, it’s amazing, so many outfits and so many designer pieces and khdkehdhfqo

[19:45] TY: im passing out

[19:49] TY: the place is beautiful too

[19:50] Doie: send pics!! 

[19:51] TY: like, everything is so elegant and bright, flashing lights and bustling conversations… and there are a lot of models and famous people what am i even doing here sjeoirfjiwe

Taeyong is being beyond sincere. The emplacement for the event is a luxurious and huge hotel in Seoul which halls could belong to a Palace. There were red velvet carpets, crystal lamps, roses in flower pots, expensive and smooth sofas and chairs to sit down to talk with acquaintances and make deals. 

Everything that a person can expect from an event like that is there, like in a movie. Models being led here and there, photographers taking pictures, journalists asking questions and a transit of people in which Taeyong feels a bit out of place. 

He stays in the middle of the hall, watching the doors and stairs, reading the panels that indicate direction and trying to check in the schedule he has where he has decided he will go first.

His phone buzzes again. 

[19:55] Ten🔥: lost? 

Taeyong looks around, holding down a smile of overflowing happiness from just one simple message if it comes from that number. 

He tries to check if Ten is any of the people photographers are taking photos from or if he is sitting on a sofa, leaning back on puffy cushions as he gives some thoughts away to a lucky journalist. 

It vibrates again. 

[19:56] Ten🔥: up 

Instinctively, his sight ascends to the upper balcony of the hall, watching that right in front of him, there's Ten leaning on the banister. 

Taeyong has been growing used to him and his chill looks of everyday. He has been taking a dive in his floppy hair, his washed face and the jeans with t-shirts. 

Of course, that's not the case now. 

His hair is styled, slicked back with loose strands at one side, and he is wearing a pale pink outfit with light high-waisted pants, tight at his waist and loose as they fall; together with a matching blazer and a paler pink sheer shirt that lets his tan skin be guesses underneath. 

His eyelids have a glaze of gold, shimmering under the lamp light. His face looks like a picture of an angel planning something pesky from the gallery of Heavens, chin tucked on his hand adorned with shiny silver rings. 

Taeyong is shot back to the first track of admiration for a moment, struck by the utter magnetism he feels radiating from the model, and his eyes can't stop checking him out. 

Since he can't hear him in the distance, he barely registers that Ten has chuckled while leading his attention to his phone again. 

The ding of the message coming in almost makes Taeyong jump. 

[19:58] Ten🔥: do you need help or not? 

[19:58] Babyboy💕: currently in various fields 

That little chuckle that moves Ten’s appearance, Taeyong can hear it in his mind. He corresponds with another smile. 

[19:58] Ten🔥: for once I would like to spare you the wait, but I'm starting to understand your struggle with me on your store 

[19:59] Ten🔥: now we are at my work zone… there's like 20 photographers in this room ready to shoot 

[19:59] Ten🔥: and that annoys me to death right now because… wow

Taeyong looks around once more, recalling Ten's words a week ago. 

He was right, Ten carried a baggage. He came with all the press, the social media and the attention, not to say a schedule filled to the tipping point. It would take him just one wrong move to have all the room snapping pictures of them and printing them for headlines. 

As he ponders about it, a young man with a neat black suit comes to Ten and starts telling him something above his shoulder, to which Ten nods. 

He types again on his phone, and makes Taeyong's own beep. 

[20:01] Ten🔥: gotta go, i’m being summoned by someone more boring than you 

[20:01] Ten🔥: Lee Taeyong

[20:01] Ten🔥: you look amazing tonight istg 

[19:02] Ten🔥: five stars 

He looks up to the gallery again, smile toying with the corners of his lips, but Ten has walked off to wherever he has to go. 

Taeyong helplessly bites his bottom lip, barely able to refrain from thinking about Ten being the one that presses it between his teeth. His whole body shakes with a chill, making him close his eyes immediately and taking a deep breath to control the jab of bliss that reminds him he is abnormally full. 

He tries to focus on the panels again, looking for the main room in which the catwalk must be. 

Each designer has half an hour of show time with five minutes in between them, so he has time to see a couple of them before going upstairs like Ten said, so he searches for the empty seat with his number.

In his mind, a space gets reserved to say thank you to Ten for the nice placement of his seat when he arrives there, close enough to the catwalk to see everything well and grab some attention, but not just in the middle of the spotlight so he can chill without thinking about being bothered by nosy people. 

Without wasting more time, he settles down, whimpering under his breath when he pushes his own weight over the little toy inside him. 

Shit. 

He is trying to be too bold, right? Is he teasing Ten or himself? After seeing him, he doesn't really know. Ten is beautiful all the time, but tonight, within a second, not really doing much, he has given the designer a glimpse of something else.

And he has said Taeyong looks amazing.

The tailor has a burn on his chest that brings up a stupid smile. 

Maybe he has to be careful and pretend that he doesn't know Ten that much to avoid a scandal, maybe he has to wait and sit straight through a couple of fashion shows with a plug stuck in his ass, and maybe even three if he wants to play the hard to get card with him, but he knows that at the end of the night, Ten is still yearning for him. 

Lee Ten, the artist, the interesting man that builds empires in Taeyong’s mind using only words and that has a tight schedule of appointments across that fashion event, has chosen him.

Taeyong clutches his hands on his lap, fidgeting nervously. He feels like he is itching for something. 

A touch, a kiss or a word would ease him the same; just a starter for the real deal they have in between hands. He needs it like he needs water, now that he is not busy with work, he notices. He is craving. 

"Are you alright?" Asks the woman that's sitting by his side. 

It sinks Taeyong in embarrassment to know that he must look an absolute mess to make an unknown woman in the crowd of a fashion event ask him how he is doing. 

He bows politely to her. "Yes, sorry. I am just a little overexcited, it's my first time attending" 

"It's okay, don't apologize. You are Lee Taeyong, right?"

His eyes widen a bit, as he nods. 

"Yes, I am Lee Taeyong. I’m sorry but, with whom I had th e pleasure of talking?"

"I'm Julianne Yoon, I am a fashion blogger and a stylist". She must have caught the surprise on his face as she smiles politely. She seems to be a nice person, but the name doesn't sound as familiar to Taeyong as it might should, anyways. "You designed the outfit of Lee Harin"

That clears the situation a little bit more, as she points towards the crowd in front of them, across the catwalk. Following her gesture, Taeyong can perfectly see Harin sitting opposite to them, waving her hand. 

Not for anything, seeing her makes Taeyong's chest puff. 

She looks so different from the first time she saw her with her pink spring dress, now wearing the beige pleated blazer that barely covers her legs to the mid part of her thighs with all the black accents of the accessories. 

It's not the first time that Taeyong sees the complete outfit, of course, he has seen her wearing it in their last fitting appointment before giving the green light, but with all the proper makeup, hair and styling, in the context of the event itself, it looks even better. 

He waves back to her with a smile. Not a customer service smile, a genuine one, thankful of her trust and happy with the good result for her. 

"Yes, I took a custom commission from her. She is very delicate, so I was surprised that she asked me, but I think the short look fits her. She has long legs" 

"It’s good you accepted regardless of the short time she gave you" comments Julianne, while Taeyong marvels about the velocity of news spreading across the attendants of the event. He expected good publicity and some more attention from dressing an influencer, but maybe he wasn't believing it completely. How many interviews should Harin have completed in the last couple of hours. "Puts you out in the market. And as a person that dedicates her business to write about fashion, I tell you, your style is a wisp of fresh air" 

Taeyong swallows, trying to get rid of unnecessary humbleness with the spit. He knows this is a moment for him to market his brand, she is basically praising it and could launch a review of his propositions with a nace rating. 

"Thank you, I wanted to combine the femenine side of Harin with a bold touch. To look daring you don't need to go overboard and shadow a personal charm, just put the right amount" 

"Interesting approach" 

He is about to keep answering implicit questions, but the lights of the hall start dimming and the spotlights of the stage turn to enticing colors to leave it ready for Hermès presentation. 

He prefers it, he is more comfortable with watching the models walk by with their elegant outfits and leathery accessories from the brand better than pushing his luck with more words to the blogger by his side. 

With all, nerves don't really reach him. 

Little by little he falls more into the spectacle, watching all the combinations of colors and textures, taking pictures and notes in his mind that can be useful for him in the future. He even feels that impulse that he wants to start buying things when they move to the sorbet shades and shiny finishes of Balmain. 

At the end of it, hitting the five minutes pause where people start to shuffle, Taeyong thinks about getting up and moving upstairs, since patience is not so much of his forte to tease Ten as hard as he does it back. Yet, the funny steps of Harin and her cute pitch doesn't let him when she sits next to him at the start of Mazarine's show time. 

"Hey, Taeyong, you came" 

"Yes, how could I miss it" he says, taking the hug that the woman is offering. “You look great” 

Who would have thought, but he is growing attached to her. She is raising the number of his bank account and giving him exposure so, being such an amicable person, he doesn't have a reason to be mean. 

"I am happy to see you here. Everyone is asking about you and my dress, so I would call it a success!" 

"Really? And how are you? Are you comfortable wearing it?"

"Yes, I owe you one"

"Nah, don't say that, it's my job" 

“Yeah, but with so little time… just tell me if you need a favour in the future”

“Okay. And you call me if you need me again, yes?”

“Bet”

They keep looking at the models, commenting their clothes together and making some jokes. It's not his style, but Taeyong stays for politeness and convenience.

His mind, however, it's starting to drift again. 

The clock is about to mark 9:30 pm, and that means that it's been almost an hour since Ten had his interview. 

Almost an hour making Ten wait. 

Almost an hour not being the nice boy he is supposed to  _ pretend  _ he is. 

But is he to blame? At the end of the third show, when he gets up and is about to excuse himself from Harin and run almost Cinderella-style to the party that Burberry is having upstairs, there’s a photographer that asks them to pose together for the record, so he can’t let that one pass and lose a headline about his job. 

And then, the questions about style, process and even his very own outfit start coming his way, so the digit in his phone is at 9:45pm when he is done explaining everything and waving goodbye to his client. 

As his muffled footsteps are drowned in the carpeted floor and the din of the hotel halls, walking towards the big door of the dining room his invitation card specifies, his skin starts getting covered by goosebumps and his heart beating heavily. 

He finds his way upstairs, and across the left hallway until he sees the bustling ambience behind a double door made of wood and glass. For a second, he doubts he is in the correct place, but the stand by the door’s side shows a signboard that confirms that’s the afterparty he is looking for. 

Well, one thing he has learned and sintetizes in the spot, is that he can't get bored when Ten is near. 

The place is so elegant and beautiful, full of the colors and textures that Taeyong has always adored from his job, but now put in motion. In the context, the sense of making and designing clothes shines brighter in his eyes and makes his body feel more alive than it has been before. 

Once inside, the music is not too loud, the sound of conversations is still audible, but the volume is high enough to cheer up the salon with the beat of an addictive pink pop song.

A waiter stops by his side as he enters, holding a tray with one-bite appetizers put in a white ceramic spoon. Without a doubt, Taeyongs picks one up and tastes what looks like a meat filled ravioli in bolognese sauce. 

As it descends to his stomach, Taeyong notices how hungry he really is, so he moves to the noticeable table with other traits where people seem to be gathering to eat, catching a couple more of mini dishes offered to him, like a piece of cheesy omelette and a tube with a pea cream or something like that. He doesn’t care about the names of the things that waiters tell him about, he is just so happy to be able to exist in that plane, tasting nice things and watching the people talk about their choices and the designers they admire. 

But he keeps moving inside the salon, knowing that he has to find his little flame among the crowd of people. 

He has the persistent feeling of Ten being like the cherry that tops the whipped cream of a muffing, and that the last piece of that growing happiness can only be completed in the moment he is with him. 

Maybe the sentiment is a little bit ominous for someone that’s just bound to him by the title of a fun pastime, but the night is inviting and deserving. 

Lee Taeyong always has excuses for the things that keep popping deep down, under his ribcage. 

He tries to dodge the cloud of thoughts that tell him to pay attention to those things that move his heart, it’s normal to feel the appreciation towards a man that not only listened to him rant about his job and treated him with the kind of intimacy he had been lacking, but that also took the bother to give him an invitation to attend this bright place. 

As the minutes pass, he notices the chocolate fountain that's placed at one of the tables that seems to keep the desserts. It calls for his attention wildly, his sweet-tooth dragging him to the plates of different skewers ready to be taken and put under the stream of fudge. 

Just like it’s expected, he picks the most sugary thing that he finds, being this a skewer with a triad of marshmallows that he coats in chocolate. 

He knows that he is sending many pictures and clips to his instagram stories, but he can’t stop bragging and enjoying that small pleasure that emanates from the beauty of all the things he is discovering tonight and are around him like an overwhelming act for the senses. He has also shared the posts where Harin has tagged him showing off her outfit, and even seen other recognised people post some shots of him praising his talent and even his self-designed shirt according to the theme, which he obviously shared too. 

Everything seems so unreal. 

He is munching on his chocolate coated marshmallow, trying to scoop all the flowing fudge that collects on his lips with his tongue before his clothes get stained, when the familiar shade of pink serge and worsted wool crosses the edge of his vision field, erasing the relevance of the other wonders of the tale. 

“Lee Taeyong, I had started thinking that you would stand me up” sings Ten’s voice, reminding Taeyong how melodic and high-pitched it is, and how easy his smile slips when he hears it. “What are you having?”

He stops in front of Taeyong, whose eyes fall to the skewer that he has on his hand. 

“They have a chocolate fountain near the entrance. I got marshmallows, you want?” without really thinking twice, he offers the skewer to the model, holding it up between the two men’s faces and placing the other hand under it, in case anything spills. 

“Why not?” 

Ten shrugs and holds Taeyong’s hand steady to approach the candies, easily trapping one with his teeth and slowly pushing it out from the wooden stick that held them together. 

As much as he should have expected a pretty vision out of it, the older one had overlooked the fact of how extensively pretty Ten is. His lashes project gracious shadows over his cheeks as his eyelids fall a bit, showing the glossy shimmer of color that’s splashed on them. For more injury, his lips, which were, perhaps, covered by a light layer of purplish pink, got painted with the trace of chocolate for a second long enough for the tailor to tilt his head and dream. 

By this moment he has had time to get familiar enough with Ten to know that, despite being a tease, the manner in which he brushes his lips with his tongue to wipe the sticky chocolate off is not there to get him. 

Knowing the reason doesn’t make it feel less easy on the eye for Taeyong. 

“How is your night being? Pleasant?”

“Yeah, and fun. If I am honest, I have always wanted to attend one of these events, and I feel so happy that it finally happened. I have been watching the models and the new approaches for next season and I feel really inspired. I think I’ll go nuts on Monday trying to put all my ideas down on a paper”

“I like to see the happy Taeyong” comments the youngest, lightly. “Happiness suits you well”

“Stop that” He blurts out, growing embarrassed out of nowhere. Why so fast. “You are going to make me blush and we barely greeted each other”

“Alright, sorry. But you know, you sound like you were having a great time, my night wasn’t being as exciting before you arrived, I feel like I am taking the fun away from you”

“That’s not it, I wanted to come here sooner” he finally says, rehooking the conversation in favour of not falling on his butt. “Lee Harin caught me in the crowd of the catwalk and I got involved in photographs and questions about her outfit, my outfit… a mess. How do you do this?”

“With practice, I guess. And Mark helps a lot, I would be lost without that little sunshine, keeps all my messy appointments in check” he says, gesturing with his chin across the room, where the boy in the black suit and black hair he had seen before is sitting, next to a brunette girl with a cute navy dress that imitated a night sky with embroidered star on a tulle layer over it. The model smiles. “Don’t mind his stupid face right now, he becomes an awkward dumbass in front of that girl. She is a makeup youtuber and he thinks she is like the prettiest flower out there”

“She is pretty”

“I didn’t put her beauty down, I was just pointing out how nervous she makes him” 

Taeyong feels like he could relate to the young man laughing on the other side of the room, enjoying his time around a celebrity that keeps him on his toes. 

“So, anyways” he says, coming back to Earth. “What I was trying to say is: Sorry for making you wait, I didn’t mean to”

“Don’t worry. In a normal situation, I would be cranky about it, but seeing you up close, I would be an hypocrite if I said I don't understand why you grab so much attention from the bloggers and journalists”

The barely open slit of a cascade of compliments drags Taeyong towards the gaming board like a magnet, eyes looking up to the man in front of him with a different spark of daredevil. 

He might be eager, and occasionally shy, but one thing he's not, is a dull piece of unseasoned tofu that doesn't know a thing. Taeyong had always been someone strong-willed, and his will right now is to have fun, a lot of it, with Ten Lee. 

With all the wicked intentions that Ten hadn’t had a few minutes earlier, Taeyong takes the last marshmallow out from the long stick, placing careful fingers over it and getting them to dip slightly on the chocolate. He licks his lips way too much to be only impulsed by the hunger the sweet scent elicits in him, so when the marshmallow touches them they are pink, slick and plush, and then they close around the tip of his index finger to get rid of the leftover chocolate. 

He doesn’t stop in front of the darkness in Ten’s eyes becoming liquefied greed, he can’t give him the time to get him first or it would be over for his act. 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you look stunning in that outfit. Well, you always look insanely good, but tonight it’s just… next level, over the top. You designed that one?”

“Does it have the vibe?”

“It does”

“Yes, it’s mine” nods Taeyong, beaming wide. “I can’t be humble now, I love this one”

“It’s made for you, everyone could tell” 

Taeyong has been expecting a bit more of resistance from Ten, but the straight up confession of his thoughts fall over him like a slab, as they both have started moving towards a nook of the salon where they are not in the middle of the attention. 

Hearing Ten praising him has always stirred something inside him from the beginning. The pitch sounds special in his ears, and his body usually reacts to them with an inexplicable chemical reaction that sent heat across his veins. The situation is not different in a night that has him so elevated, not at all. 

“Thank you”

“No need to say it. Everyones is wondering who is the talented new face and why is he so beautiful. Don’t be obvious, but if you look around you, you’ll see how people checks you out”

He chews on his bottom lip, noticing how as they walk by, people turn their heads to watch. But he still can’t believe what Ten is saying.

“Don’t be silly, they are looking at you, not at me”

Ten chuckles faintly, as if he is trying to keep a secret. 

“They are looking at both of us, actually, maybe wondering what we are talking about, if we know each other and why, if we have job deals… or just a bit more” Taeyong notices how Ten’s voice is being low now, how he almost whispers the words next to him with a hot breath that uses his skin as a place to fuse and die. “Believe me, I know what I’m saying, otherwise my hands would be all over you now and not holding this drink”

Talking about drinking things, Taeyong takes a grasp of a waiter that passes by, grabbing a tall and thin glass of a bubbly liquid that looks like champagne. He would have taken anything available to swallow it and soften the knot in his throat. 

From the corner of his eyes, he can see how the model stares at him as he sips, eyes attentive of his lips around the glass. He can feel the heat radiating from him as he walks by his side, keeping just the necessary distance to not be touching each other, and he knows, he is certain for once, that Ten wants him as much as he wants Ten. 

His tongue let’s the words roll to him with an enticing murmur. “I brought something for you”

“Uh? Excuse me?”

“Something you may like”

“What is it, then?”

“I can’t show you here”

Ten stops a little, already at one side of the room where they are a bit more covered to the curious eyes of people, and Taeyong can feel how his delicate hand reaches for his hip and stops him too, making him follow some steps until he is facing the model.

He leaves out a sharp exhale at the delightful flick of the plug inside him with the fast and sudden move of his body. The model stares at him, interested but not quite sure of what the older one is trying to hint, but his eyes are already a pool of propositions in silence. He can’t resist the pressure of the toy against his walls when he clenches with the first wave of pleasure, angling his foot a bit as he sneakily moves a lazy circle with his hips. His eyes slip out of focus for a second, making Ten even more intrigued. 

“Lord have mercy, how fast can you make me crave something?”

Taeyong shrugs and giggles, the vibration travelling all his body and sending chills down his spine with the aftermath of them. He gulps, wondering if the fullness has been so severe all night or it’s just now when he is realizing he is aching for more. 

More of Ten, with no atelier, or photographers or friends that interrupt when they are about to get there because despite being sure about what they want, the time, the situation and their jobs are always in the middle. Meanwhile, tonight is free and fantastic, Ten looks like the imagination of an artist, and his breath is hot when its distant caress lands on Taeyong’s face. 

“Probably half the fast I get high on you”

“Are you holding back?”

“In front of you, almost all the time since this started” 

“That’s a lot”

“Well, you give me a hard time”

"Seriously? What about right now? You are holding back" 

"More than ever. It's bothering me that I can't touch you because everyone is looking. How to deal with the inconvenience of being always the target of attention… I just want to give you your present" 

“Where do you want to show me” asks Ten, giving a lopsided grin that surprises Taeyong. 

Has he really riddled up Ten so much he is dropping the hard shield of nonchalance with a few words of the older one? A day to remember.

“Somewhere only you can see” he breathes out. "It can be wherever you want to take me, I will follow you, the only condition is to make sure only you enjoy the show"

If he knew the wave of heat that crushes over Ten with only the airy tone of his voice he would be surprised by his own power over the model. He just hides it, but his imagination flies high regarding the precious sounds of the older one and his chocolate lips. 

It takes all the strength of his brain to not shorten the gap between them.

"What if we leave this party? Together" 

"I would love that" 

“You sure? I know you like this place, I can wait a bit more if-”

“I like you better”

"Okay… I can’t even say I don’t want this, you are going to forgive me for that. Come"

Not missing a beat, Ten goes crossing the room and walking towards his personal assistant, and so Taeyong walks behind him, acknowledging the way he is being stared. 

"Mark" he calls, startling the boy a bit. Then he gives a polite gesture with his head to the girl besides him. "Mina, good evening" 

"Good evening, Ten"

"Hey, what's wrong?" Asks the boy, seemingly embarrassed to be caught in the middle of whatever conversation he was having with the youtuber girlie. “I thought we were done”

"This is Lee Taeyong" explains the model, tilting his head towards him. “Remember him?”

"Ah, nice to meet you, Taeyong. We have talked in the phone before, I think"

"You are Lee Taeyong?" Asks the girl in short notice.

"Yes, that's me" he says, shaking her hand.

"I heard you are a designer, but you look like one of the models" 

Mark blinks fast, which makes Taeyong a bit guilty of not helping the poor man with his nervous shutter in front of the makeup artist. Yet he smiles back at her with the compliment, knowing that she is only being nice and curious. She really looks like, out of the pair, she is the bolder one. 

"It’s not that big of a deal, but thank you"

“You are being very talked about tonight, I can guess why” she giggles, kindly. “Get ready to start appearing in the raising stars list”

“I sure hope so, miss”

"What did you want, Ten?" butts in Mark, going back to the main conversation with the model, that for the other hand seemed rushed enough to concern his personal assistant. "You don't have more schedules today, you can do whatever you want"

"Yeah, about that exactly, take the keys of my car" Ten whips out the modern piece of plastic that's supposed to open and make his car work, attached to a… cute keyring with a funny TV cartoon mascot that Taeyong can't identify now. "Go home when you feel like, I am leaving now"

"Already?”

“Yeah, I found myself something better to do”

“And like, why don't you take your car with you?" 

"I had a few drinks, I shouldn't"

"Okay" says Mark, trying not to act as surprised as he seems to be. “Are you sure you are leaving? Are you okay?”

“Mark” he says, trying to make his friend understand what things are about, tilting his head slightly in Taeyong’s direction so maybe his personal assistant can get a grip of himself and piece together all the bits of information. “Taeyong and I have things to talk about”

“ _ Oh _ ”

“Yeah”

“Okay, I mean, fine by me” 

Not only Ten chuckles, but Taeyong also does, endeared by the cuteness of this individual that he barely knows. He wonders how he can deal with Ten on the daily, guessing that he is more than the confused, naive, shell of a man he appears to be at the moment. 

“So we are going to go, it may take us some time to solve the topic”

“TMI”

“Ten” calls out the tailor, holding an underbreath laugh. “Shut up, let him be”

“Thank you, Taeyong, I can’t stand him”

“Come on, let’s go” says Ten. 

The faint pressure of Ten’s hand on the small of his back erases everything around him but the urging heat that covers him, spreading even more by the touch of Ten’s warm palm through the very light material of his shirt. 

“Bye, Mark, pleased to meet you”

“The same”

Without further ado, Taeyong follows his model out of the salon, across the hall, down the stairs and out of the hotel; feeling the small prick of his secret stimulating him with every step to the point that he has to close his eyes and concentrate in breathing through his nose, knowing that the ring is not helping him either, making things hard for him quite literally. 

Cold wind brushes gently over him and Ten, as they stand on the sidewalk in front of the hotel’s front door, the street almost empty at this hour despite the lights and bustle that comes from the places of entertainment. He prays for it to be able to soothe the burning temperature of his organism, but Ten is even closer now that they are alone, and their shoulders are flushed against each other like magnets. 

“Mister Lee” he mumbles with his eyes still closed, reaching the model’s hand with his almost shy, pinky finger wrapping around Ten’s own.

“I know” he barely whispers in return. His lips are too close from Taeyong’s, and his breath crashes on them as they stand on the sidewalk. “Give me five minutes, I called an Uber” 

“Five”

“Five, just five, and I’m taking you to my place”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	13. Private Show

As soon as they got in the car, Ten gave a clear direction to the driver, that Taeyong barely catches, and the next the tailor can discern happening around him is the rapid descent to the center of the Earth. 

Ignoring that there was still the man at the wheel, they found each other, lurking in the dark and searching for the other. Taeyong’s soft lips connect with Ten's own, his tongue slips into his mouth with a soft sound of excitement and his fist clenches on the pink shirt to attract him to his body and brush against him to feel his warmth. 

Taeyong is wearing so much lip gloss that he can feel how their lips glide over the flesh with the rash of having free way to finally do this as hard as he wants. His heart beats fast, thinking about the shiny stains he can leave on Ten’s golden skin, angling his head to pour the kisses alongside his throat. 

Ten's hands go to hold his hips, chests flushing together, but Taeyong doesn't care about how messy everything it’s coming out, for he has became extremely greedy through the days of wait and he is not willing to let anyone take Ten away from him this time until they are absolutely done and wasted. 

Both are becoming a tangle of hands that want to touch all the planes they have for each other, as the wet noises of their lips crushing together fill up the air. 

He likes it, likes the urgency that translates into Ten's moves when he licks into his mouth, knowing that he finally has the model just as tense as he is. In fact, his breath is clipped and hot as he lets out the short exhales between kisses. 

"You are so pretty tonight" he says, leaning on Taeyong's ear so he can hear him. Taeyong gets goosebumps. Whispered compliments are more than he can take from the thai. "You are so pretty every day" 

"What about you?" Answers Taeyong, hand wrapping on the collar of Ten's shirt, holding him close to his face. It seems impossible but for once, he has all the buttons closed in order to fit the thick necklaces around his neck. "You look like art could kill"

"Poetic"

"Like a delicate piece of fine porcelain that is going to cut me as soon as I let the guards down. So steaming hot, I can’t handle it" 

Taeyong reaches over Ten's thigh, rubbing the flesh with his thumb. His muscles are tight under the fabric of his trousers and make Taeyong sigh over the crook of his neck, licking up again with the tip of his tongue. 

"Lee Taeyong" he hums, with a raw sound. "You can try me"

He slides his palm down, slow and sensual, leaving the younger’s thighs to the front of his groin to feel his bulge. His fingers walk down over the space below his waistband, fingers easily slipping down. He is half-hard under the fabric, and Taeyong can’t avoid his need to press down a little bit harder, making the model spread his legs apart to allow his touch. 

However, Taeyong has learned how to play the game already, hand lifting to his chest again, eliciting a shaky laugh from Ten as he pulls the older towards him again to latch his mouth on his earlobe, getting a funny metal sound from Taeyong's earrings. 

“Excited for your surprise?” purrs the designer flirty, knowing inside that it’s him who is excited, especially with how the model puts his hands under his shirt and his thumb strokes over Taeyong’s stomach and his teeth scrape over the smooth skin of his collar. “I’m sure you a- _ aah _ ”

The wet and warm tongue of the model regals Taeyong with a tingly lick over one of his sensitive nipples, his face getting hot and furiously red. His hands lift up and press over his lips, muffling the hmms that he can’t barely hold. 

"Sir, shall we go to the right?" 

The model looks up to the front window of the car, trying to picture what the driver is asking him about, and Taeyong can't help but to wonder how much time they have been immersed in nothing more than a sloppy make-out session if they are now passing across a modern district with high buildings at both sides. 

"Yes, to the right. Three squares down and then to the left" 

Ignoring the persistent burn of his body and the growing hardness in his pants, Taeyong separates a bit from his companion, looking out of the window curiously. 

Needless to say, he knew that Ten’s house shouldn't be a cheap rent, but for some reason he hadn't stopped to think about the location. He is not that psycho to be trying to guess his address, anyways, but damn, the skyline right now is giving him chills. 

He feels like… the protagonist of an erotic novel being taken to the sexy chairman's penthouse. 

The place where the driver stops the car looks promising enough for him, and Ten leans over the back of the seat to give his credit card to him and wrap the race up. 

Sitting and standing all the time is starting to be more of a torture of what Taeyong can vocalize. A sweet one, but still. The butt plug is just being pushed in and then a bit out with all the movement, almost pressing on his prostate, and that's not helping him dealing with the swollen look of Ten's lips when they finally reach the inside of the building and he can look at him in clear light. 

He follows Ten towards an elevator, watching him press on the number ten out of twelve floors to choose. 

The thai has opened his bag, and is searching for something that's most likely to be his key, but Taeyong is not concentrating on that. His vision is a bit out of focus, watching that, indeed, Ten's neck is a canvas that flaunts a collection of pink glittery marks that match his lip gloss. 

Taeyong tugs at his cuticles with his teeth, daydreaming about being able to make a more permanent mark on his neck so people could see it and know there is someone in Ten’s life that makes his blood rush like that. 

A part of him, he doesn’t know how big, wants people to imagine him making Ten’s heartbeat accelerate. 

"What are you thinking?" 

Taeyong drags his attention from the lip shaped marks on Ten’s kenck to his eyes.

The elevator is not wide enough to allow them to be very far from each other, and less when Ten moves towards him, sneakily. 

The blonde is leaning on the metal bar at the side, prompted on his arms. He can see himself in the mirror opposite to the wall, and he looks like a mess, with his cheeks colored with the heat of expectations and fantasies and his pupils big, drunk on lust for him. 

"You can guess, I bet" 

"But it's funnier if you tell me" he sighs, hands going to wrap around the bar behind Taeyong, encompassing him. "Is it something about me?" 

"Are you going to play around with me asking me for more obedience now?" Responds Taeyong, surprising even himself with the choice of his words. Ten gives him a once over and grins, almost like he is taking the victory in something the older doesn't know. "Because I want to tell you in advance that I am being very, very good right now. Don't want to misbehave for you, but fuck, if I could" 

The doors of the elevator open with a quiet sound, and there's nothing that impedes Taeyong to let the model hold his hand and guide him to the correct door of the hall. 

He likes that Ten is about the same height as him, especially now, because he hugs his waist from behind and giggles against his shoulder, being able to nip on the skin behind his ear as the thai works his best to insert a card on the digital lock and type a password. 

Taeyong almost misses how the model’s hand slips a bit on the third digit and he starts again. 

"Distracted? Maybe you are thinking about me too" 

"I am definitely thinking about you" 

Taeyong hmms to that, perhaps acting too bold as he looks for Ten's plush ass with his crotch and rubs just once with a circle of his hips. 

"What thoughts about me?"

"You would love to know, wouldn't you, Lee Taeyong?"

The door finally submits to Ten’s attempt to open it, making them both step inside a warmed up house. He mentally thanks the temperature as Ten gets rid of his blazer and tosses it over a piece of furniture of the entrance, faintly showing the muscles of his back under the semi-transparent fabric of the shirt while they leave the entrance for a bigger stance. 

The windows are wide and cover a couple of walls from the living room, throwing a bit of luminosity despite having forgotten to switch the lights on. 

"Can I get you something? A drink?" Asks Ten, getting to a cabinet to take out a couple of glasses. 

Taeyong appreciates the gesture, as he has always appreciated the caring way that Ten showed to him even if it's just the sexual attraction that makes them come together, but he just wants to go over this part and get down to what really calls for his attention with a burning strength.

"Not really, thanks" 

Ten turns around to observe him, chest rising and falling with a quick pace, and arches one eyebrow that does magic on Taeyong and his body as a whip of desire and scorn hits his spine. 

"Okay, I am going to get myself some water" he announces in a somewhat mocking tone of voice. “Hold on for a second”

"Really?" 

Ten shrugs, visibly amused. His attitude makes Taeyong want to fight him.

"I am not forgetting about you, I just need to drink something. Are you that needy for me?" Taeyong tilts his head almost imperceptibly, thinking about the reasons of that question or even the consequences of the answer. He hesitates as his eyes get big looking at Ten, silently expecting the youngest to spare him. "I don't give you what you want?" 

"I-" Taeyong stammers, looking at a seemingly unbothered model that has taken a glass and filled it with water and ice in a cool little dispenser in his fridge. He knows he is not so serene under the clothes, but his attitude really irks him and makes him want to beg. "That's not what it is, I really like what you do to me" he confesses. "But why are you playing around with me and making me dizzy? It makes me doubt if you want to have me for real" 

"You really think that I don't want you?" He questions, placing his half empty glass on a random corbel around the living room and going back to the oldest, wrapping his arms around his back and pulling him closer. 

Taeyong is not sure if he has to answer something, so he shakes his head slightly and abandons himself into being kissed and locked in Ten’s embrace, since before he can open his mouth for more, the model is leaning on him; grasping the back of his hair with the hand that’s not on Taeyong’s hip to lock him against his front. Now Taeyong is grateful that he decided to let his hair grow that long if getting it pulled feels like that. His passion is coming forth like a turrent, the ability of hiding it has definitely run out as he recognizes the familiar electric pulse running to his lap, his cock loathing the snug fit of the ring.

"It’s only your need to rush, right? Not really doubts on me"

The way their bodies are pressed together should be enough of a clue for Taeyong that he can’t be skeptical about Ten’s appetite. For much Ten lied now or acted like it wasn’t the case, the sense of tact couldn’t deceive him. 

"I just can't understand how you stand it for so long"

The brunette giggles, sort of endeared by his companion. His hands are slipping from his back down his side to finally rest on his ass, grabbing slightly. With the squeeze, the toy that fills him up shifts in the slightless, yet his sensitivity is redoubled and Taeyong exhales faintly and beautifully. 

"I am worse at keeping my forms that you think, I just like to take my time with you because it's worthy to see all your little squirms and hear your airy moans" he says, squeezing more, increasing the strength slightly and making Taeyong stretch and melt between his arms with another of said airy whimpers, clearer this time. "Just like that, see?" 

Taeyong can't deal with this, he really is used to things going fast, and Ten makes him learn patience the rough way. He pulls the model closer, kissing him immensely harder than before, filling the air of the room with an intense trail of hmms and breaths. 

"Take me to the bedroom and I promise you that I will show you more of that" 

Thinking about moving things over, or perhaps just not thinking at all and letting his body tell him what to do, he took over the buttons at Ten's collar and started undoing them, still careful of not ripping the pretty piece because as much as he would have like that, he had too much respect for creative designs. 

"That's a nice offer now" 

"Consider it" 

With a mischievous scrunch of his nose and a smile, Ten lets the older finish unbuttoning his shirt and shimmers off it, making it fall on the floor.

Taeyong can't avoid a pause to take in the new vision of exposed skin.

He hasn't seen him naked yet, and the only clue he has is the pictures of his instagram and magazines that, needless to say, are nothing close to being fully exposing beyond just the socially acceptable centimeters of bare skin, so he is really anticipating it. 

Those weren't enough to satiate his need to see him.

Ten is so pretty, from the curve of his neck and shoulder to the dip on his chest and the smooth surface of his stomach. Taeyong wants to touch all, his body giving an involuntary shudder with the desire getting the best of heats out of him. 

The designer loses track of the passing minutes that he spends on Ten’s physique as the later gives him that tilt of his head and smirk, but he realizes how absolutely aroused he feels, and his body has a self-brain that makes him caress Ten’s sides and press his lips on the sharp bones under the model’s skin, mellow with the first touch and heating up as he licks up towards his jawline, growing lustful again and resuming what they left unresolved during the ride home. 

His hands roll down, touching playfully on his chest and making Ten respond with a sharp breath when he pressed his palm down on his cock. 

"Okay" says the model, surprisingly breathy. "Decided" 

Ten takes him by the wrist and nudges Taeyong to follow him towards a sliding door that awaits for them at the back of the living room, crossing the threshold.

A space of Taeyong’s mind is a bit familiar with the room he ends up in, with his big, double bed of white duvets, the full body mirror leaning against the wall on a corner and the carpeted floor all fuzzy under his feet.

"You like how things are going now more?" sings the model as he closes the door behind his back, giving another small peck on Taeyong's neck, hand reaching around his hips and rolling down to take Taeyong's bulge in his hand as a little revenge, making him gasp with the surprise and feeling he provokes when he palms him through his black skinny jeans. “You say”

"Yes, Mister Lee, that's right"

"Only right? I want to make it great" 

"To be frank I- _ ahh _ "

The flick of Ten’s wrist makes him shut his eyes tight and float over the floor. 

As he pushes himself back onto Ten, letting him play with the rigid state of his dick, his mind drifts with the satisfaction and notices that, despite having known Ten for almost a month and having a thing that everyone recognizes as casual sex friends status, the feeling of letting Ten do that has not presented itself many times. 

What kind of nonsense is that?

He wants more, only that is fair after days, even weeks, of feeling deprived of even his own touch, all eager to release the overwork that restrains his body. 

The sultry voice of the thai as he withdraws his hand from his center takes him out of the dumb questions. 

"Make yourself comfortable, I am going to get some things that might be useful for us"

“Return at the double or I will cry” advises Taeyong, not sounding like a menace at all, but more like a real notification of what could happen. 

“I promise you, sugar” he murmurs with a tint of amusement, kissing his neck once more before he takes the leave. 

It's the moment Ten turns to what Taeyong supposes it’s the bathroom when he is left alone with a field of possibilities and a week long build up of sex drive. 

Comfortable, he said. His wish is Taeyong's command, then. 

The older gets rid of his pants and underwear, saving himself up some time and the itching feeling that he can’t stand no more after all their adventures, and then, he almost jumps onto the mattress. 

The fresh air brushing on his swollen cock already makes him want to sob, but he takes a mouthful of oxygen and tries his best to position himself just right. 

He knows his eyes are big and glowy in the dark of the room, only half illuminated by a pair of lamps that hang on the wall, quite tenuous if compared with the luminosity that the lamp on the ceiling should be for. He holds too much lust in them, but he doesn’t need to remind himself that’s something both Ten and him know. 

The thought encourages him to do more, always going a little bit further for his model, moving on the sheets like a flexible predator regardless of his actual position of being the pursued one, moving to a pose that leaves him in full disposal for Ten.

He honestly loves this part, when he is stared at like he is the most precious, exclusive thing to possess. And the kink especially enhances when Ten's orbs darken like a stormy sky as he comes out from the annex room and goes over him with his gaze, discovering the settlement of his body upon the bed just for him to enjoy. 

Taeyong is sitting on top of the bed, with his knees bent back and his legs splayed at each side. The hems of his shirt that were earlier hiding, tuck in his jeans, are now long enough to fall towards the middle of his thighs, but they are riding up in that position, and he has already get rid of both his trousers and pants so Ten can perfectly see how his erection shows up in a full stand, with that cute curl as it rises towards his stomach, over the vaporous material of the shirt that’s getting damp and heavy where the beads of enthusiasm are falling. 

It's then when the model can notice the shine of the pink ring he knows well due to the recent adventure, cinching around Taeyong’s hardness, which is thick and juicy at this point. 

"You have no idea of what you just did" purrs Ten, voice husky. 

Taeyong knows Ten is tracing the shape of the toy back to his shelf and knows what else doesn't show but is there. 

"I can guess a bit" teases the older, sticking his tongue out between his teeth. "What are you going to do?"

"Your voice is going to vanish after I'm done with you, I promise"

Taeyong smirk is so rogue with Ten's manner to stare at him, with longing and urge crumpling his features and making his eyebrows knit into the fierce expression of a panther, which adds to the absolutely wicked picture he is painting on Ten's dormitory. 

“Really? You think you can make me scream that hard?”

He leans back, prompting himself on his arms and angles his head a little, showing off his open collar too, with the choker around his neck; but it's not his final move. 

He is showing off, bragging from right to left and giving Ten a taste of red that he well deserves after the lack of mercy he has treated him with, and Ten observes, his body heating up like the deepest ring of hell. 

“Probably yes” he says, all sure. His overconfidence, once more, makes the delight of Taeyong’s nerves’ endings. “But don’t worry, we are going to put it to the test”

Taeyong can’t stop now that he is staring like that, he needs more of it, same like a sweet drug. 

He slides over the bed covers, as if he is imitating a cat as well, his arms stretched out and his ass up, round and smooth. The curve of his hips make the astonishing look accentuate with the natural fall of the loose shirt until it barely covers anything. 

For what it seems, Ten can't stay still for a second longer without taking part in that act, and so he moves towards the bed. 

Taeyong giggles, growing playful as Ten tosses a bottle of lube and a bunch of condoms that he had taken from his bathroom aside, on the bed, and crawls towards him as they tangle messily, in for a disordered and sloppy kiss that goes with their usual brand’s theme .

Even that brief roll across the bed makes the plug inside Taeyong move and get closer to hit his spot with the added weight of Ten leaning on him, and so he squirms.

"Modeling this outstanding set for me?" Hums Ten, maybe accidentally injecting some fuel to his love for praises.

"Of course, giving you my best angles"

"Worthy of any self-respecting magazine cover, if you ask me" 

"No covers, this is an exclusive for you only"

"You are giving me a private session?"

Taeyong nods with a confidential smirk.

"This is my surprise for you, hope you like it"

As he talks, Ten pops the buttons of Taeyong’s shirt open one by one, only a couple of them remain when the eldests interrupts his activity with the exploration of Ten’s honey-like skin.

He has started on his arms and gone up to the shoulder blades, falling on his back; so Ten has separated a bit from his body to let him roam his hot hands across his skin but Taeyong sits up, closer to him and pulls him into a kiss that Ten takes with open arms. 

The wetness of the sound when their mouths join together gives out goosebumps to the tailor, caught in the rash feeling of tongues lacing fast, passionate, and teeth biting on swollen flesh. 

Mindless, his lips part to leave a hiss escape when Ten's attention falls towards his neck. There's still a wash of color over there, now turning yellowish, where Ten had put his flag last time; and Taeyong can feel on his skin how he smiles over it, recognising the art under his name before moving on to his chest and lacing his tongue on Taeyong’s perked up nipples until Taeyong -quickly- spurs his pleasured noises.  Not really realizing what he is doing, the designer is slowly humping his hardening cock against the other boy’s thigh as he plays with his bud on his mouth, breathing harder and harder all the time.

Sooner than later, his fingers tangle with Ten's black and blonde hair, wanting to keep the model kissing him there and molding his lips against his chest as the inflammation of his lower body keeps his whole body alight. 

However, as their limbs remain tangled and Taeyong's thigh is separating his legs, he can feel that Ten's dick has gone to a state too. 

Blindly, while Ten's unyielding mouth comes back to meet his own for another messy exchange, Taeyong’s long fingers go for an exploration of his pants buttons in order to set Ten free from them. The model takes the hint, pulling back and taking the opportunity to brush his hair off his pretty face while Taeyong undoes the couple of buttons that compose the fly. 

Since they are loose, the trousers naturally fall down and gather easily around his knees before the model slides off them and kicks them out of the way. 

It's impossible to take Taeyong's eyes off Ten as he strips him, drunk on the power of doing so. A part of him feels dizzy knowing that this is the first time he watches him become only flesh and skin for him. 

Ten has a charming bit of everything, for he is a man with a bit muscular and tan fit, but still lean and plush. From head to toes, Taeyong loves what he can see in him, so sharp and so soft under the same vision. 

In the split second before his touch breaks the older one's body in an earthquake of elation, Taeyong looks at him feeling electrified. It's the anticipation that kills him, the knowledge deep down that he is going to be so addicted to Ten and too deep into it to quit him at the right time. 

To make things even, maybe, Ten pulls the rest of Taeyong's light daisies shirt over his head and sends it to the floor. 

Taeyong softly whimpers under his breath, feeling Ten get close to him again, settling between his legs with an impish roll of his hips. 

Their bodies grazing against each other with less barriers by the minute makes Taeyong’s senses amplify and his mind blows with the meeting of their erections touching, Taeyong’s own bare against the fabric of Ten's boxers. 

"I love it when you are hard" mumbles Ten over his lips, making him a bit sheepish. "It makes you even more cute and needy than you are by default"

Not only is he very hard, he has been so for a while and through the days, intermittently, not able to overcome the neediness stucking inside him. 

“You are so precious, so pretty… so unique, princess" he continues, making Taeyong want to ask him for more out loud. He took the praise kink seriously, more than Taeyong had expected him to, and that has him in a daze. "I have never know someone like you, with all the good things of the world"

Ten is up on his arms, rubbing their crotches together, moving his hips back and forth with a rhythmic pace. Taeyong's skin is starting to gleam with sweat, aching to take more and more from him, his compliments and his oversensitive shaft surrounded by the tricky pressure of the ring. 

His hand  massages the solid bulge in his black pants for a few moments, just for a brief moment, and next he slides his hand into the waistband as Ten tenses with the touch. He moves his other hand, making its way to Ten’s soft hips, and his fingers take down his last piece of clothes. 

He bites down his lip while his hand, in between Ten's legs, takes out his fully hard shaft,  which twitches in Taeyong’s grasp . The model lets out a heavy exhale of air through his nose, hips moving against his hand, and so Taeyong's blood fills with the desire of hearing Ten pant and moan for him.

"I want you" confesses Taeyong, mindlessly. "Here. Now. Badly" 

"I know, and I want you too" he mutters, with his lips lingering all over his neck again and his hand taking on Taeyong's wrist drifting from his hardness to his own. "But no touching, baby"

Knowing pretty well what the youngest means by that, he leans back on the puffy cushions of the bed, with his knees spread shamelessly and his hands already closing on the sheets, trying to be composed about the thing that is calling for his attention so loud he can barely think in any other part of his body. 

Even the cold air of the room seems sensitive to his pulsing hardness but he holds back, his plump lip being bitten as he stands obediently in his bed. 

He wants Ten to do it. 

Ten, with his sharp eyes full of a dare that, he knows, will give him the most trouble just when he lets his bossy side explode. 

He must have always known. 

In a moment, the model is leaning on him again, fingers tickling on his thigh for a moment too short, reading his expression with darkness in his pupils.

"How nice you are…" He keeps praising, teasing a finger across his reddened erection. Taeyong tenses under him, bearing the move. It feels so sensitive already. "You listen well and can be good even without being tied. The best boys can do it without having to be tied, I know because the most part… need a rope around their wrist to behave half the way you do" 

The thai only needs a second to get closer to his lips, lingering over them to let Taeyong drown his gasp on them. He begins playing freely, as Ten is letting him kiss him deep and toy with his tongue, even biting his lips before he parts for air. 

As it is expected, his impatience is unleashed. 

Just by the way Taeyong is fisting the sheets and lapping his tongue inside his mouth, Ten must know he is in a desperate race, hot and needy. He didn’t say it, nor would he admit it out loud, but he would have preferred Ten to tie his hands really tight on the header. 

Ten leans away just when Taeyong starts to pant between the quick trail of kisses, his hips searching for the contact he most needs. 

The model wiggles a playful finger in front of his eyes as a sign of denial. 

His lashes flutter, knowing damn well that the amusement that compose Ten's expression will be caused by big ideas, as always. 

“This…” he says, tracing one finger over the pink ring that keeps Taeyong tight. “I'm going to assume that we don't want to get rid of it, do we?"

Taeyong shakes his head, slowly, biting down the smile that spreads on his face. He is having so much fun, after all. 

"But this…" continues the thai, as his hand follows the strap and reaches out for Taeyong's behind, sliding down with a light caress until his fingers can tap on the base of the plug. Taeyong twitches with the light push on it. “We could replace it with something else”

Well, the implications are clear. 

Taeyong nods to answer Ten's implicit petition of consent, and so Ten laces his fingers with Taeyong and slowly pushes him to completely lay on his back, with his hands at both sides of his head pressed against the sheets. 

"Now let's see how you take it out" 

“Oh no” replies Taeyong, genuinely denying, with a thin thread of voice, what Ten is suggesting; owning a disapproving glance from the thai. His hands are shaking, and his dick already throbbing, so he is not so sure if he can make it go out of himself with no hands and while Ten looks straight at him. “You. You do it, please”

“No,” he answers roughly. “I want to see you do it. Tease yourself for me”

Without him taking control of it, a shallow, shaken breath comes out from his throat.

“It’s too big” he whines. 

“Well, you chose it so you can deal with the consequences, am I right?”

“I’m- You-”

Another exhale. 

Taeyong’s eyes close, for he needs focus to relax his muscles and slowly push the toy out, feeling it move as it goes past his walls. 

“You see? Just like that”

The first lump is the hardest one for being the widest, but he has strength enough on his muscles to do what Ten wants him to do, so of course that he is going to give it to him. 

It may be- or become- a bad habit, but that's a problem of Taeyong to fix.

Suddenly, Ten's statement about putting him under a melting pleasure doesn't seem so far or almighty anymore, but instead like the real world, like the present. Never has Taeyong felt so bare, euphoric and sensitive with every feeling that touches his body. 

He feels the heavy burn of Ten's eyes over his body. 

He is very excited, and so he clenches around the plug within a minute, whining under Ten.

"Let me… turn over"

He is not holding him rawly, but Ten lets go off his hands completely for Taeyong to turn around, knees sinking in the mattress, back stretching like a cat, hands flat on the bedside, and spreading his legs while his body arches.

He is shaking, but tries again and harder, pushing it out slowly against the great resistance that makes him sweat. The thickest part of the plug begins to stretch the ring of muscle at his entrance. A moan pours from his throat, body shaking as he nearly sucks the toy back in, but Ten does hook a finger around the stripe and barely pushes in the opposite direction. 

"Ten" his voice trembles as he calls him with a wish of help, but when the aforesaid takes a hold of the toy, he twists it inside him and presses it all the way in again, and then back out, halfways.

Taeyong's eyes are closed, legs shaking as he kneels on the fancy bed and pulls the sheets fisted on his hands. He is thriving, butt clenching and relaxing with all the action.

Ten gently strokes his thigh.

"Slow. Take your time, princess" he says, lust softening a pinch under the sprout of a comforting tone. 

His breath skips a cycle, anyways, because the pet name takes him all the way up.

"Push it out"

Ten giggles, making it twist inside him again, but the sheer bliss makes him moan and relax, making the plug slide free and with no resistance when Ten tugs out, leaving him feeling completely empty after hours of being full. And there goes another moan, loud and a bit out of breath. 

He lets his butt flop on the mattress, legs bent over it.

The giggle of Ten makes him know trouble is near even with his eyes closed. He still doesn't dare to open his eyes when the soft, cautious fingers of the model trace his jawline with a caress and make the blonde turn his face to where he is. 

When he finally opens his eyes, they are watering, full of lust. He has never been this entranced before, so pampered and harassed with pure attention. 

"That was good, so good" His lips are already parted for Ten when he let's his mouth suck in his bottom lip, drawing him into a kiss that feels like the arid air of the Sahara desert. He tastes sweet but dangerous, like a berry you find in the wild and eat out of instinct without knowing if it's poisonous. “What an spectacle you’ve got me here”

Taeyong senses Ten's free hand rests faintly on his hip, as he parts the kiss and moves behind him, not stopping the scorching set kisses all over his shoulder blades, his neck and behind his ears. The hair at his nape is standing, he feels the tingles in his scalp, impressed that all of that comes from just one person. 

Ten doesn't feel all that rough anymore, but he does feel like an angel that's been caught on fire. 

"You have a tattoo here?" His husky whisper curls behind Taeyong's ear and provokes a chill, and the brush of his thumb over the center of his lower back doesn't help. "A pretty, secret rose. A bit daring too, uh?"

"Liked how it looked on me. Do you?"

"Love. It." Answers Ten, spacing the words for emphasis."How many more secrets do I have to find out?" 

"Be free to explore by yourself. Throughout" 

The older one falls back further, leaning on Ten, letting him hold his entire self. He spreads his legs more so he can sit back on Ten's, feeling his bare hardness press against his asscheeks. 

"I will"

The graze of Ten's hand on his hardened nipple makes him yelp, but he allows him to keep doing it, keep touching him as much as he hadn't before, paying him back for all of it and more. 

He hadn't noticed before, but Ten's fingers are methodical and attentive. He is careful, playing with the bud, rubbing small circles with a faint drag of his nails over them. He grabs it between his index and thumb and lightly pinches, provoking an airy sigh from the tailor. 

"So responsive… you are quite the catch"

The breath sounds become deeper every time there's another stroke over the bud sending shivers down to his navel, but there's no verbal response, as if he is afraid that opening his mouth will cause him to finish untouched.

His stomach clenches while the model's hands descend, taking care of every inch of his skin and going past his sharp hip bones marking under the flesh. He mewls long and pleased, back arching and arm angling back to curl behind Ten, when the latter puts his hand around his hard cock, driven to the fullest after much suffering. 

There's no need for lube yet, since he has been dribbling, becoming wet enough for Ten's palm to slowly stroke him, making his dick jump with ease.

Ten pulls the foreskin back, leaving his throbbing tip bare, running a finger across the slit.

"I'm really oversensitive today" he attains to say as some kind of warning between stammers. 

He is moaning and twitching in Ten’s hand, he knows. A part of him desperately wants to cum already but Ten just slowly keeps stoking and it’s not enough to finish him off.

"I know. I made you like this and you made it even worse" he says, fingers slick as they play with the swollen tip of the older’s cock. Then, it descends to the base again and tugs a little from the ring around his swollen balls that's restraining him. "You spent all night with this thing inside you?" 

"Aha"

"So hot" he grumbles under his breath, yet Taeyong still registers it. "But what were you even trying? Making yourself an absolute martyr?" 

"Turn you on pretty b- _ aah _ -ad" because Ten's hand has started moving again, teasingly, he chokes his words out. “Pretty bad”

"Well, mission accomplished" 

Even being just stroked with Ten's hand and his own moisture, it feels overwhelming because of the build up; and everytime he flicks his wrist, Taeyong gets more convinced that the model knows his body as if he has always had a map.

He must be giving out a spectacular view, flipping his blonde hair back to grant Ten a hungry look. 

However, the model stops after a few repetitions and the burn swallows Taeyong, scattering in pitiful noises for the sudden lack of attention. The youngest's fingers bury in the flesh of his hips, pulling him up a bit to reposition his body behind Taeyong.

"Are you comfortable?" 

Taeyong’s mind goes under a momentary blackout, hearing the model tearing the condom's wrapper apart. He stares at him rolling it on his hardness, feeling like he is having an out of body experience just from the incredibly hot vision he makes. 

Avidly, he nods his head in response. 

The thai's arm goes around his hips and pushes his back onto his chest, mouth pressing against the back of his ear with an arousing, open mouthed kiss. 

Something cold and thick is poured over his tailbone. He understands immediately that it's lube, as Ten leaves no doubt guiding it down towards his entrance, still gapping with the absence of the toy that had been stretching him out, and drawing circles around his hole before pushing in. 

He is ready, but he loves the thrilling sensation of Ten's digits curling inside him to graze his sweetest spot. 

"Fuck me good" is all that he can muster, almost pushing back onto his hand but getting stopped by the withdrawal of it. “Please”

Both of Ten's hands go back to hold him while he lifts his hips from the bed and sluggishly grids his erection against his ass crack.

"Of course, princess. What are we here for?"

He hasn't thought about this part yet, the part where Ten owns him all, but he doesn't have time to ponder, for Ten quickly guides his dick to his entrance with his hand, playing with his head in Taeyong’s ass, pulling in slightly and then out again, rubbing himself slowly against the puckering hole of the tailor and making Taeyong gasp as he fits inside with the sticky, slippery glide of lube.

"I like when you call me that" he moans, helplessly tensing and lifting himself on his knees to settle down on Ten’s lap, dropping himself down hard. 

Ten hisses as answer, nothing less. 

"I like that you like everything I do and say"

"Fair enough to say that from me. I do. So helpless..." 

The model moves his hips back and forth, slow at first as Taeyong adjusts to him, going a bit deeper with each thrust and opening him more than the plug had because of the difference of the size. 

The pure excitement of the moment makes Taeyong feel like his heart and cock are ready to burst, but he doesn't want to cum so soon, not when it feels this good and feverish and Ten is gripping his hips and forcing him back into his lap to go in deeper. The feeling of fullness inside him is so amazing that he doesn’t want him to ever pull out, but what really turns him on the most is the dark moan of lust that Ten emits on the crook of his neck, grabbing his hips tighter and picking up the pace, starting to pump in faster. 

Ten bottoms in, causing Taeyong's lips to part with ease to cry out. He holds it there for a moment, while he speaks.

"Why do I want to hear every moan you make?" 

He waits for the response, keeping Taeyong on the edge. 

" _ Aah _ … I don't… don't know… why?"

"Because your moans turn me on so bad, I want to hear them more" 

"Is not going to be hard for you" 

He groans immediately, for Ten pulls out completely and snaps his hips against him again, driving himself deeper and making Taeyong choke out curses that kept rolling down his tongue. 

“Don’t bite them back, I love them”

"God Ten" He croons, feeling how Ten's dick slides in and out of his hole fast, with each thrust faster and deeper inside him. Taeyong can feel it, eyes rolling back when it pushes hard against his prostate with a twist of Ten's hips, making him wild with sexual passion. “There! Keep going, keep going!”

His body starts to tingle, feeling something building inside him, still barely touched as he bounces on Ten's lap. 

“Damn, Taeyong what happened to you?” His laugh is choked up with bliss, due to the older one's hips circling on him. “ You were so cute”

“I’m still cute! Shit,  I want you all the way inside me, give me all of it, damn, it feels so...mmm…. good, fits so good in me”

He has gone out of control, but he is not the only one, although he is the one with an abnormally hard erection unattended. Ten also lets out a cry of pleasure while his member twitches inside him. 

“Taeyong, you are making me crazy”

"You...mmmm...mmm…ahh… you are going to make me pass out"

His back keeps arching by impulse for the sensitive state in which his dick is, and the fact that Ten thrusts hard enough to hit his spot again and again from that angle makes him ache for release. 

He needs it so bad, pushing back, rolling his hips to meet Ten’s pace and letting go of any shame he could have possibly kept in front of him, because, anyway, his legs are spread wide for him who is wetly slamming in his ass with an intoxicating rhythm.

The damned ring, of course, holds back his release, making his eyes water from the sheer pleasure he is experiencing. 

“I n-eed to cum, I’m gonn-a cum, Ten”

"Not yet" 

"Pleas-e, please, please, please..." he mumbles, going on countless times, feeling the kind of spasm through his muscles that tells him it is the end, but the ring doesn’t let him go so easily and holds it back. 

Ten pulls out and flips Taeyong over, both falling on the bed messily. It's such an exquisite torture he starts seeing little starts in his eyes. 

Ten slams in again, choking Taeyong with the incredible feeling that wrecks havoc through his blood and sets him in a next level kind of pleasure. He is going faster, and his nails dig in his hip, but surprisingly, his other hand comes back to wrap around Taeyong’s needy erection and roughly pumps it just as fast as his hips are slamming into him. 

Every little inch of his body is set on fire and telling him to end, as he moves to meet Ten's pace and lifts his hips from the bed moaning and panting. He is nearing his climax, and he is almost sure that Ten has his very own orgasm boiling in him, since Taeyong can feel his dick jerk inside him and the insane tightness of his walls clenching around him must be exhilarating. 

For a millisecond of rare lucidness, Taeyong’s mind registers that they are about to finish at the same time, but it switches off suddenly and all his skin gets covered in goosebump with the mere idea.

Too much, it is too much. 

His breath stops for a moment with a whole body shudder, and with a force previously unknown to him, Taeyong comes in Ten’s hand with a dark whine of ecstasy, and so does Ten, pressing hips against Taeyong’s ass and tensing all his body with a shake, twitching inside him with a sharp twist of his hips. 

Taeyong momentaneously feels like he has passed out and can’t even remember his own name. He only knows Ten for a moment, still slamming inside him as he rides out both their highs, as his legs tremble and his overwhelmed and sensitive body is drenched in pleasure, still releasing the entirety of the load he had accumulated through the days. 

He is sprawled on the bed, panting like crazy and hearing the pitiful moans coming from his own throat. He gasps air almost as if he had been drowning, but he isn’t sure that that’s not what was happening just a minute ago, when he was only able to articulate loose mumbles. 

He finally falls on the pillows, lying face up on the bed that seems even more soft and comfortable suddenly after the strain. He feels so out and tired that the only way he knows Ten eventually rolls off and moves by his side is the slight sink of the mattress to the right.

He is close to him, he feels his skin brushing up against his own. 

“Are you good?” he says, whipping something wet from his face that Taeyong can suppose is one of his pleased tears. 

Part of his question sounds like preoccupation. 

“Am I? I don’t know…” he answers, getting a smile to paint his face. Opening his eyes again, he laughs, perhaps because he can’t process any other emotion that how stupid he sounded just now and how good his body feels “But you are, for fucking sure. Oh god, I’m not sitting tomorrow”

“Hey, hey, I didn’t hurt you, right?”

“No, you didn’t" he warrants to calm down a Ten that's getting rid of all the leftover tears on his face and pushing strands of blonde hair behind his ears. Maybe it's not his place to think like this, but Ten's touch feels gentle and makes Taeyong breath hitch. "I feel great, not gonna lie" 

Ten chuckles. 

"It was great" 

His whisper makes Taeyong feel like he is being electrified. 

Ten has tossed the condom away, and he is wearing his underwear again. His eyes seem for Taeyong like they are lit, so he assumes Ten is in a good and satisfied mood as well. 

"Let me help you with that" he says, gently pushing from his knee.

For strange it sounds, Taeyong feels a bit bashful to be looked at once the rash has passed, but he gives up to open his legs and expose himself again. He is confused for a moment, but his mind clears out when Ten holds his now soft dick gently and picks up the ring between two of his fingers, sliding it out carefully and freeing him from the restrain. Next, he pushes away the whole toy laced to the messed up plug that's attached to it away without hurting Taeyong in the slightless. 

"Thanks"

"It’s not good to wear it too long, and I think you exceeded the time already" 

"You have done this before, uh?"

"I wasn't born yesterday. We can play with toys if you want, but let's not go to the hospital, yeah?"

"If you are worried about my dick falling off I have some shocking news for you and what you made me go through" he accuses, amused but still annoyed about the denial.

"Of course it worries me" says Ten, dramatic, keeping up with Taeyong's joke like a skillful actor. "I'm growing fond of it, still have plans for it, you know?"

From deep on his chest, the laugh shakes Taeyong and the sound is close to an open blue sky with white clouds. He is too sexed out to keep up with Ten's annoying wit, he has enough with his demanding attitude and the energetic sex.

"Okay, but not now, I'm exhausted" 

"Same" sighs Ten. It still feels unreal how they both are riddled with the sensation of latent ecstasy and thrown in the pillow of Ten's bed side by side, but it feels natural at the same time. "By the way, the bathroom is right there" Ten points at the door where he had come from earlier. "There's a shower if you want to use it anytime" 

Taeyong has to make an effort to sit up on the bed despite the sudden slumber. He didn’t remember that orgasms were so tiring.

"Actually," he says, getting up and forcing himself to it before he could go to seed on the bed. "I should clean myself" 

He should, indeed, he is sweating and his release is all over his tummy and his chest, so there’s no way he can pass without getting rid of all of that before sleeping. 

"Feel free" just says Ten, which opinion in the shower time matter appears to be closer to the lazy option. Taeyong doesn't question it, as it's his house and his bed, and he doesn't really have the right for an opinion of what the thai decides to do with his life. "There are some towels on the shelf, and all the shower stuff is in the shower. Ah, and there are clean tees in that chest of drawers right beside the door, pick one if you want to sleep in something comfy" 

Well, that kind of surprises him, but looking at his phone when he picks it up and skipping the huge stack of kakao notifications, Instagram answers and reactions to his stories and new followers, the hour is absolutely inappropriate to leave. 

He knows it can be dangerous out there going alone, and so he guesses Ten knows. It's also a considerable ride from Gangnam to Myeongdong for how tired Taeyong is feeling at the moment. Besides, it has been rather implicit that he was going to stay the night over until the morning, the only thing is that hearing about it out loud makes it realer, and his system is still processing what he has just done to also take that one fact.

But how well done it has been. 

He smiles in the secrecy of the bathroom as he steps into the shower and opens the tap. 

So sleepover it is. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	14. Truth shines through

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One week more I'm here for you, my darlings.  
> This just got 200 kudos, so I just wanted to say a million thank you's to you guys, I never had so many kudos and so much lovely feedback so really thank you a lot.  
> By the way, this fanfic has a spotify playlist I use to write/feel inspired, so you may want to use it while reading etc. Here it is!  
> [Sour Candy Playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Ux7HuY8lWF9vXa3SdxmkP?si=6GK_bwhdSz2YqbzxPSh1Hw)
> 
> Have a nice weekend and see you next week! (or in the comment box bellow!)

It's a gentle tap on Taeyong's forehead that takes away his slumber the morning after the grueling Fashion Week. 

He feels his head drowsy and his body heavy. His limbs are a bit sore, and his back stiff, but he doesn’t feel bad at all, nested in the comfortable sheets of someone else's bed. However, as he angles his head to his side, he doesn't find anyone but the big ball of fur that's now licking his face. 

Pushing himself up onto his elbows, with the sluggish weight of his doze still settled over him, he blinks a few times trying to get rid of the sticky feeling of his eyes and understands that the ball of fur he is looking at  belongs to a siamese cat. Letting his head go back to the pillow, he scoffs for himself, looking at the ceiling with an unavoidable smile that gets bigger and softer when the animal momentarily climbs onto his chests. 

Despite the thick sensation of his sleep and the sudden awakening, not a single fiber of his body has forgotten for a second that he is in Ten’s penthouse- as if he could- but, last night, he didn’t have a moment to ask or think about the location of the cats he knew Ten owned. The tailor must have been very busy with other thoughts, as case in point the way he has entered in the apartment already aroused to the bones, rushing Ten to forget hospitality in order to wreck him and all sorts of evil purposes in between. 

“What?” he musters, stroking the head of the animal atop of his chest gently and watching the big pupils of his big blue eyes grow big, showing him keenness to his careful touches. “Am I not who you expected to find in this bed, little one?” he chuckles, amused with the clingy attitude of the animal despite the curious sniffing he is doing over Taeyong. 

A part of him wonders if Ten really spends his mornings laying around with his cats, and a cute imaginary picture of the model starts being painted in Taeyong’s brain. Ten actually seems to be homey and enjoy those tiny moments of relaxation where he can lay back and breath, probably cuddling his cats. 

That thought is too cute and domestic to ponder about right now, because it’s definitely out of place to wish that Ten was still in bed so Taeyong could snuggle with him and ask for a bit more when he is clearly there after a carefree sex night. 

Taeyong keeps caressing the animal’s long ears that almost make it resemble a bunny instead of a cat. “I bet I smell all like him now, anyways. Is that why you are so clingy with me? How cute, you must like Ten that much...”

The feline jumps off Taeyong, landing on the floor and moving towards the door, which stands ajar, to stop in front of it and look back at the tailor. 

He giggles. “You want me to open for you? There’s space enough for you to slip through, what a hail-fellow-well-met you are” 

Not without a lazy sound and a big yawn, Taeyong takes his time to stretch on the empty bed. 

Now that he looks at it with the light of the morning slipping through the curtains that shade the big window of the room at his right, he notices how much of a nice bed it is. 

Taeyong loves his bed, it’s probably the best place for him in the universe, but Ten’s own is not so bad itself. It’s wide, with a black, plush frame and header on top that leans against a large black board covering almost the entirety of that wall. The sheets smell good, lingering with a flowery smell that emanates from the white duvet that’s covering Taeyong’s lower part, smooth and puffy. At the sides of the bed, there are a couple of matching night tables of faux naked wood, at which feet a couple of cushions from the bed had dropped during their passionate encounter last night. 

Over the table that’s closer to him, there’s his iphone, actually charging, nothing less. He doesn’t know how it arrived there, but he suspects that a certain sweetheart has taken the time to rescue the device from the back pocket of his discharged jeans and put it there to keep it safe, because his clothes seem to be folded over a chair. 

It’s funnys, at least in Taeyong’s eyes. 

Ten may match and exceed his very own boldness when he is in the mood, but out of the teasing, the yearning for release and his vexing eloquence, the model happens to be pretty decent. Sweet, even.

Who would have said it? 

Well, Taeyong could have. Is not like Ten ever treated him badly, nor like he gave away the impression of being an irreverent jerk who doesn’t know manners through the many testimonies coming from him that Taeyong has read in the past couple of years, collecting random information about his platonic crush, but you never know what’s there behind the veil of your idol, they obviously chose what to show so they may have a dark hidden side. 

To be frank, not even the sex was that rough. It was hectic, but Taeyong has had it done worse to him, though. 

That gives him a small wave of goosebumps. It wasn’t the roughest sex, but it definetely goes up to the top tier of his list. That is not a surprise for the tailor either, because as how things were unfolding before, he already accepted the fact that Ten did a lot more than other boyfriends he has had, did for him. 

More and better, he hit the jackpot with him, bless the moment he dared to write his number on Ten’s recipe. 

Taeyong sits up, his lower back sending him a subtle pluck of discomfort that lowkey sends recriminations to the tailor for the past night’s activities. His thighs, by the other hand, have more to say with a sharp pain that comes from cramps, but anyways, it’s not that much of a bother in exchange for how much he enjoyed himself bouncing on Ten’s lap.

Hashtag Worth It, hastag Blessed.

Before going out from the bedroom and coming up against the morning situation that waits for him, he catches the glimpse of himself in the full body mirror of Ten’s room, finding funny how he can recognize the frame and the reflection at his back from how many times he has seen the model post selfies taken on that mirror for his Instagram stories.

He looks good, whatsoever. His pale hair is messy, but not dirty, and his cheeks are a bit redder than the usual because of the recent wake up state. Despite the slight bloated state of his face at the moment, there’s an unusual charm to his look, wearing only his white brand boxers and a rather long t-shirt that still doesn’t cover anything below the couple inches past his waistband. 

He didn’t pay attention to it last night, since he grabbed the clothes at random after the shower and passed out next to Ten in a couple of minutes, but it’s a black t-shirt, with some messy design adorned with space-like images in purple and red letters. 

Maybe it’s the casual, boyish style of Ten being put on Taeyong, but there’s something about the look that makes it quite gripping for him. 

He lifts up the fabric a bit, exposing more of his bare hips on the reflection and confirming that, yes, he has an evident set of faded red lines adorning his skin to remind him that Ten should have enjoyed himself, at least a bit. 

It’s not like the model is going to find out, so Taeyong takes the moment to snap a few selfies of that look, in that exact place. 

He does it for the fun of it, for the odd tension he gets, tingling across his veins. 

He has seen the hour in his clock, whatsoever, and he knows he has a date with his friends -that had been all morning spamming the group chat with texts that grow more and more enthusiastic as Taeyong keeps the secrecy over his location with no interactions apart from his instagram updates- over coffee, so he must be moving. 

Better give the news ominously now that he is at it, so he will wait until he arrives to their meeting to brag about his good ass night. 

He puts his jeans on before stepping out and finally he gets to the door of the dormitory to open for the cat that’s still following him with his blue eyes. 

"Yeah, yeah" he hears Ten saying at the other side, in his living room if Taeyong remembers the disposition of the house correctly. 

He guesses the model is having a conversation over the phone, since there's only his voice and a clear space between answers that require a second person to be complete. 

That explains why he isn't in the dormitory with Taeyong. 

Of course, like the decent person that lives in society and has a bit of education he is, Taeyong is not planning to stay there to eavesdrop in whichever conversation the model is having, but just when his palm touches the wood of the bedroom's sliding door, he pauses at the sound of his words. 

"Yep, he is still here"

He hesitates for a moment, body flickering, as he doesn't know how to act. And although he knows it's not the best thing to do, he can't be blamed, dropping his hand from the handle to use it as a stress reliever, picking in his nails with his teeth, waiting behind the door for a bit longer. 

"It’s not like that, Jaehyun, it's… I know but…. Yah, who are you to judge? You don’t know anything when it comes to relationships… yeah… yeah, go with your cheesy ass somewhere else" 

Taeyong knows he has heard his name before, but he can’t recall where or what Jaehyun’s relationship with Ten is. What he knows is that whoever that man is, the exchange of words among him and Ten really increases his curiosity, makes the tailor want to discover his origin and, specially, the information to complete the opinions about him being shared down the phone line. 

"He is sleeping" keeps saying Ten in his conversation. “No, of course not”

Taeyong feels too guilty to stay listening to the man talk about him without saying a word, for Ten has his own business and private things and may don't want Taeyong around them, it is not like he owes him anything from that anyways, so the older comes out from the room. 

As he approaches the couch where Ten is to announce his arrival, the sentence that falls from the model's lips is suddenly beyond comparison for him. 

"He is the most beautiful thing to watch, no lies" 

Taeyong stops on his tracks. 

Did Ten Lee just actually say that about him to one of his friends over the phone? 

No way, there’s no way that just happened in front of him. The reaction, Taeyong feels, comes out of his mouth unwittingly and way softer than he has intended to. 

"Thanks" 

Ten angles his head back, not as surprised as Taeyong would have wanted, but with his eyes wide nonetheless. Then, the model gives him a small smile in return that floors any possible complaint from the older one. 

"Yeah, yeah…. Excuse me, Jaehyun, but I have to hang up now…. yes... I have some to do's to tackle right now.... See you later... Bye Bye" 

"To do's?" Teases Taeyong when the model leaves the phone aside, regaining the canny hue of his voice that he had lost at first. “Is that what I am to you?” 

"Well, I didn’t lie. I actually do you" 

"You  _ sure  _ do" 

“Yeah, baby” he smirks, knowingly, probably recalling the previous night. But in a moment, he abandons the smug smile for a gentler one. “Do we pretend you didn’t hear me or...?”

Taeyong giggles. 

He doesn’t know himself this morning, doesn’t know what is taking the wheel of him and his body since he has stepped out of Ten’s bed, but he leans over the back of the sofa and angles his head to fall close enough to the model’s lips, which accept the brush of the short kiss without resistance, giving up to the slow and mellow exchange.

“I’ll save you the embarrassment” flirts Taeyong, still speaking over his lips. “But I will keep the knowledge for me. It’s only fair if I’m so beautiful as you say”

When he leans back, he watches as if he can see something throw a shine in Ten’s eyes. It’s minuscule, maybe even imaginary, but Taeyong wonders if it’s the reason why his heart shrinks in his chest. 

“Did I wake you up?” asks the younger, shifting the topic quickly. “You looked tired last night, I thought you would sleep more”

“No, you didn’t. That little thinggie, tho…” says Taeyong, pointing at the rather fat cat that finally passes by his side, running to somewhere else in the house once Taeyong has opened the full door for him to escape. 

“Really? Louis? That’s weird” says Ten as if Taeyong is aware of the names of his pets, but he catches on it and tries to retain it; then he nods. “He must like you, then, he doesn’t really like people. Except me, I mean. This one is the social one” he explains lightly, lifting towards Taeyong, a sand colored cat that had been apparently resting on his lap. 

His big golden eyes greet him as the animal sniffs in his direction and lifts a paw to him, proving Ten’s words right. 

Taeyong can’t help but to beam, patting his small head carefully as a friendly greeting. 

“What’s the cutie’s name?” he asks, already intrigued with the way Ten seems to pamper the two felines that are, also, the cutest pair of cats he has ever seen, even more than on the screen. 

“You like pets?” 

Taeyong nods his head enthusiastically, grinning wide. “I love animals”

“Me too. This is the baby, Leon”

“So… Louis and Leon? Those are the names of your cats?”

“Yeah”

“Where do the names come from? Sound like the names for petty victorian children”

Ten fakes an exaggerated amount of sheer indignation, gasping and hugging his pet back to his chest and pretending he covers his ears for him not to hear Taeyong’s words.

“How mean, Lee Taeyong” but then he laughs, letting the feline jump from his arms to the floor. “Those are french names”

“Ahh, I see. That’s very model-like of you”

“What is to be ‘model-like’?” he questions, taunting Taeyong with his amused tone.

“You know what I mean, it’s almost a cliché to like Paris when you are into the fashion world, right? It’s the stereotype” 

“Well, I don’t know if it’s just Paris, I like Europe, in general. I find it of my taste” he mentions, not letting Taeyong drag him as much as he was trying to, but contenting him with the random and unrequested piece of information about himself. “What about you? I mean, I am into fashion and it seems like you already know that I have strong willed opinions about what I like, but the real designer here is you”

“A budding designer” 

“Did you miss last night? You are pretty much what people call a promising designer, they are dying to get their hands on you already, you are just in the first stage of shocking first appearances” 

Taeyong is surprised by that statement, but he is not exactly convinced of being in the obligation of denying Ten’s words this time. 

People had recognized him and his name, his design for Harin provoked interest, and the popularity of the woman in the social media had triggered a chain of bloggers and even journalists turning their attention for him. It may be brief for the moment, but is a beginning. They had asked him questions about his opinion on the night and fashion, even requested to explain the inspirations that made him create Harin’s dress.

But… just hearing it out loud, and from no other than Ten -who hits harder than anyone else for some reason- feels a lot different. 

“So what?” continues the model “You don’t dream about Paris, the Eiffel Tower… eating baguettes and the Fashion Week there?”

“Milan”

“Uh?

“Milan Fashion Week” repeats Taeyong, firm, coming out from his staggered moment of recreation. “I think it’s far more elegant than the parisian one, and it’s usually held in October. Italy in autumn must be like the epitome of prettiness. And have you seen the Serbelloni palace where they hold it?”

“Oh, yeah, I saw it on magazines before. It has those beautiful marble pillars and the vaux… it does look like a fairytale, I can give you that”

“Right! So if I were to take any of my outfits to dress a model for that event, even if it was just a feature, I would even give my style a twist and make it look golden and magical” He knows he is beaming like an idiot, but he just gets really excited when someone listens to him talking about his job and his future plans. “I would like that a lot, I am not going to lie” 

“I love italian food, gotta be my favorite” butts in Ten with a nod, as if thinking out loud to complete the conversation with Taeyong. “I bet it is a million times better to have the original dishes there. I would also like to go”

It’s another random piece of information, as trivial as it could be, but knowing those things really makes him more human for Taeyong. Everytime he gives a step forward towards the real Ten that takes him away from the virtual Ten he first knew, it makes him feel different. 

He can’t explain what it is, but it changes things inside him. 

He shakes his head, because he is not about to imagine an italian date with Ten and their hot boy jobs that actually match too well now that he thinks about it.

“Well, so… I gotta go” 

Ten turns around, a bit surprised by his statement “Oh, yeah? Why?”

“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not running from you, but I agreed to meet with my friends for breakfast today and I think I am already running a bit late to the date again, guess that’s my trait when I hang out with you”

Ten scoffs. “Do I entertain you?”

“Don’t be cocky” counterattacks the older. “I was sleeping, it has nothing to do with you”

“Keep thinking that, if it makes you sleep better at night”

“I will”

“Woke up a fighter today, babe?”

The older one sticks out his tongue, mocking Ten and making him laugh at the same time. 

If he knew how he almost drags Ten to wrap his arms around his waist and push him on the couch to fight him until he is panting, he wouldn’t have believed the power he holds with his small fits of nerve. 

“I’ll save you from having to give me something to eat for breakfast”

“I wouldn’t have minded” 

“You know how to cook?”

“I would have tried” 

Taeyong laughs at Ten’s not-so-witty answer for once. “Come on, Michelin Star cheff, do you want to take me to the door or do I leave just like this?”

“However you please, baby” Ten says, getting up to walk him to the door, still in something that looks like pajamas, slippers and his round glasses. Yet he doesn’t look ugly at all. He doesn’t even look average, not for Taeyong. 

The model hands him his bag from the chest where he had discharged it the day before, and Taeyong puts it on. The set looks interesting, as the metal chain of the bag crosses his chest over the easygoing aspect of Ten’s t-shirt. 

They briefly stare at each other at the front door, not opening yet. 

The cast of their glances is not exactly uneasy, and not really awkward but is still a bit… stiff. Taeyong feels like it's far easier to observe Ten as they talk now, and it’s also easier to lock eyes with him when they are silent, but there’s something in the soundless air that lingers over them both. 

“Thanks for inviting me over, last night was amazing” finally musters Taeyong, giving him a smile and scratching the back of his head. “The show, the dinner… the sex” he says, a bit quietly and embarrased, blushing slightly when Ten lets a lopsided grin take over his features. “Let’s be frank, I was really needing that since the last time we met” 

“We got a bit cut off, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, I really wanted to kill Johnny at that moment. A part of me thought you will kill him too”

Ten gives a faint laugh. “Do I come out that venomous?” 

“Sometimes” the younger’s eyebrows rise behind his bangs, maybe not so surprised with the answer but with the fact that it’s Taeyong the one that pronounces it. “Don’t get me wrong, you are not rude, but you can’t say you are docile,  _ and  _ you really looked pissed that day”

“I mean, I was pissed for real. I really didn’t want to tease you or anything, my mind was settled on doing it, but then Johnny came and he started talking about things that sounded serious for you guys. I don’t want to spoil your stuff with friends”

“Yeah, I know. You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just... It’s a long story”

“Not that long tho”

“What do you mean?” asks Taeyong, surprised by the outcome of his answer. 

Ten shrugs. “He likes you, that’s not too long to explain”

“No, he doesn’t”

“Oh, but he does,” he says, cinism prying in his voice this time. “ _ Princess.  _ It’s obvious from miles away that the dude is head over heels for you”

“No, listen. He actually is half and half with one of my other friends. They have started a push and pull because my other friend, Jungwoo, has been pinning on him for the longest time, but Johnny is stubborn enough to hold steady on the fact that he likes me because of one dumb ass make-out when we were in college” 

Ten scoffs once more, and this time Taeyong can’t tell why it sounds so dry and scornful. Possibly because he just threw all of that personal information about his squad of friends to him, who probably doesn’t care about it at all. 

He doesn’t know why, it just feels natural to talk to him. Is not like Taeyong is an oversharer, quite the opposite, actually, but he tends to be talkative when he is comfortable with someone. 

He has friends outside his intimate circle, but he doesn’t get into those things with them, so he guesses that sharing the story with someone outside the triad of idiots that are closer to him feels refreshing.

“If you wanna think that…”

“It  _ is  _ like that”

“Babe, I promise you, even if you think you are not, you are attention-striking. A lot” 

“No, he doesn’t like me for real, you don’t get it”

“Oh, c’mon” protests the model, throwing his arms onto a very emphatic gesture. “He stares at you in that way”

“And what is ‘that way’ according to you, Mister Lee?” asks the designer, putting the cuatation marks in the phrase with his fingers. 

“That way. The way” 

“Not true”

“Whatevs” he says, the mock returning to his voice now that the alluring night has come to an end. “Since you are gonna defend your point with your teeth, I’ll let it go, because you’re conna be late, Cinderella” 

Taeyong rolls his eyes, kind of annoyed with Ten’s stubbornness, opening the door of the apartment to leave. “Text me”

“Don’t I always do it?”

“That’s true, I am like a caramel for you” 

“Who’s being cocky now, Lee Taeyong?”

*******

"Look at him, coming in late and with the bright face of someone who hasn’t slept in his bed!" Croons Jungwoo with a big sneer on his face and even getting up from the chair to gesture towards him as Taeyong walks inside the cafeteria. 

As if people weren't already looking at him for the way he is dressed all alone to also turn around to stare with the obvious implication that he has been a very naughty boy coming from his youngest friend.

He tries to hide behind his palm, hating to have so much attention on him, but actually laughing about the situation irremediably. He is in a very good mood and feeling fresh, a bit of public embarrassment is not going to take him down from that high yet. 

"Uuh, look at how red he is getting" joins in Doyoung. "Someone looks like he has some stuff to talk about" 

"Coffee firsts" reminds Johnny to the group of friends that are gathering around the table without drinks. "He is the last one to arrive, so he orders and pays. Ka-ching, Yong"

While he leaves his bag on the chair, Taeyong puffs, his bangs flying off his face. 

"Johnny is right” says Doyoung. “ I want milk tea with soy milk and sugar. Two cubes"

"It’s an iced americano for me" 

"Caramel macchiato" joins in Jungwoo, quite amused with the mockery. "Extra syrup. And a blueberry muffin" 

"Add me a white chocolate cookie” croons Doyoung. “Half melted in the microwave for a minute" 

"Okay, that's it, don’t go overboard" interferes Taeyong, laughing and trying to stop his friends from teaming up against him, so his friends start grinning, pleased with the successful teasing that sends him to collect a huge tray of edible items. 

He needs a couple of trips from the table to the counter and back to take everything safely to his friends, but after some minutes, he finally can plop on his chair, still feeling the weakness of his body at some extent. 

"So what's up, whore?"

"Jungwoo!" Protests Johnny, even if he is amused. 

Far from that, Doyoung has cracked into a heartful laugh that has been audible throughout the cafe. 

"I'm not a whore, okay? I only had a fun night. Can’t a man have some fun?"

"So? You actually come from Mister X's house, don't you? I wasn’t wrong, he took you home" 

"Mister X…" Taeyong chuckles under his breath, scratching the back of his head a little. "Actually... Mister Lee fits better" 

Trying to read something from their reactions, he brushes the whole table with his eyes, checking the expressions of his friends that are looking at him attentively and surprised with his statement. 

Johnny, in front of him, seems particularly surprised, torn between baffled and being coaxed with the impatience of things being finally revealed to them properly. 

"Finally! Are you going to tell us everything now?" Says Doyoung. "Because I am so in the dark about this whole thing. Like who is he? Where did he come from? I don’t know, say something"

"It’s a bit hard to explain"

"Why? Why is it hard? You have told us about other boys before" adds Jungwoo, trying to be reasonable. "And you know you can trust us with anything, we would never unveil a secret or something"

"I know that, but that’s not the reason why I kept it under the mat"

"Is it someone we know?" 

"You know who he is but you haven't met him per se"

"Let him talk" suggests Johnny, sounding a bit pressed about the whole thing. “You are asking too much, let him explain himself”

“Yeah” agrees Doyoung. “You say, Taeyong”

"Ten. Ten Lee" he spits, suddenly, biting his lip after it. “The boy that keeps me busy is Ten Lee”

He bumps straight onto the silence of friends, looking at him in silence for a couple of seconds, as they seem to be speechless, mouths agape as their minds catch up with the information. 

Jungwoo is the first one to break it with a sonorous guffaw. "Very funny. You looked so serious I almost buy it"

"It’s not a joke"

"Come on now, Taeyong"

"I swear! It  _ is _ Ten. My mother accepted a commision from his agency not knowing who he was and passed it to me, and when I had him in front of me I just melted into a puddle"

"Okay, that sounds plausible, said that way" says Doyoung, amused, as Taeyong tries to explain himself. "I wouldn't expect you to act any other way in front of him"

"So you are telling me you are fucking Ten Lee?" Gasps Jungwoo, thankfully hushed enough and getting closer to the table so no one would hear that after Taeyong's efforts to keep it secret. "Did you knock your head waking up this morning?"

"This morning I woke up on his bed, tho" says Taeyong, unavoidably cocky and with a sneer, because no matter how hard it is to make someone believe it, he knows he is saying the truth, and recalling the fact makes him proud of himself. "This is his shirt, and he doesn’t keep anything above the bed’s header, so no, I didn’t hit myself" 

Jungwoo stares at him, quiet, checking him as his eyes go down to the shirt that's very noticeably not Taeyong's style.

"He is saying the truth" interferes Johnny, once and for all. Both the other friends turn at him, eyes widening and running out of words. "For better or worse I bumped into both of them"

Jungwoo is definitely wordless, but Doyoung cracks really fast, laughing hard at both Taeyong's embarrassed face and Johnny's pout. He laughs hard enough for having to wipe off a tear from his eye as he points and talks to Johnny. 

"Did you really cut Taeyong off? With Ten? Man, and you are still alive?"

“And you were quiet, John!? Shame on you!” Says Jungwoo, smashing his hand on the table. "Tell me this is for real!"

Conveniently, Taeyong’s phone emits a casual ding, indicating that a new message has come, and he watches the luminous square of kakaotalk lighting up with that characteristic name. 

[11:47] Ten🔥: Lee Taeyong~ I know you just left and maybe it's so soon to be harassing you again 

He flips the phone so the other three men can see the screen. Except for Johnny, who doesn't really need a proof to believe his words, they all quickly move closer to lurk over the device. 

"Deadass!" 

"The fire emoji by his name kills me" says Doyoung. "You two are on the fuckbuddies terms, then?"

"Lee Taeyong, you ace" muters Jungwoo, starting to assimilate the facts and having genuine fun with it. For the immediate increment of Taeyong's blush, the phone sounds again, and Jungwoo holds his hand still before he can turn the phone back to him to read it or hide it. "He says 'But you should know that you left your pretty daisies shirt and your filthy little surprise in my bedroom'. Taeyong I swear to god!"

Taeyong yanks the phone back to him, pressing it flat against the table as he both dies of laughter and blushes to the tippy tops of his ears. He knows he is attracting some glances because his laugh is especially high pitched when he is nervous, but he doesn’t care at all, he just needed a little bit of this. 

A way out of thoughts, feelings, impressions about the man that drives him a little bit too out of his mind.

“Filthy surprise. I don’t really want to know what they are talking about” mocks Doyoung. 

“He… he has a big mouth” Taeyong says, trying to justify the text they accidentally got to read. "Ignore that"

“Shut up, I want all the details. How’s his d-”

“No, please. That’s TMI” cuts Johnny, laughing but quite firm in his answer, to which Jungwoo tries to fight with a punch on his shoulder. 

Johnny catches it in time, perfectly, almost wrestling the youngest one until they are flushing together and pushing from the other with tiny laughs. 

And they say they don’t notice what they have, it’s so funny to watch. 

“Well, as I said, we met because he had an appointment in the store and, honestly, it was a hard time maintaining the composure in front of him and keeping everything professional. But he showed me some interest so I had to give him my number”

“And he texted, we assume” 

“Yeah, he did, so we have been texting and kinda seeing each other for the past three weeks or so”

He surprises himself at how long it has passed since they first met when he says it. He has been growing used to the presence of Ten around him without noticing.

“Damn, and how is he? Ten Lee” asks Doyoung, sipping some of his tea and ignoring the other two having a fit of laughter with their ongoing fight, as Taeyong finally opens up. “I don’t mean in bed, I mean… you know? Overall” 

“Well, he is…” Taeyong inhales, thinking about it and noticing a strange weight upon him when he stops and tries to find answers about the model. 

Why is it suddenly so hard to tell what he feels deep down? There are many things that were already stirring inside his mind, inside his chest, to line them all up and explain them to his friends coherently. That’s why he needed a conversation like this and he is finally deciding to confess it in front of them, because from the moment he stepped out of the room in the morning he had been knowing there are aspects between him and Ten that he doesn’t understand. 

No limits, no boundaries, nothing to hold on. 

Maybe he needs advice, or even other points of views, to know where he is heading with all of that. 

_ How is Ten?  _

“Very beautiful” he starts, saying the obvious, easy part first; but there is more to it, and he knows that. “Just like in pictures, sometimes better. His skin is really soft and he smells like an English garden”. Words flow easily once he starts pronouncing them and his friends nod to make him know they are listening. 

"He is not my taste, but I admit that he looks gorgeous even in pictures, he must be insane up close" comments Doyoung. "You met him, Johnny? Is he that pretty?"

"Meh" blurts out the tallest. "I guess"

"What else?"

“Well... he is a tease” continues Taeyong, hearing in his voice that he starts smiling as he goes. “He doesn’t really have malice, but he is very smart and playful, he knows how to get on my nerves, he keeps me on my toes and sometimes makes me wait, getting me to be an excited mess…” He laughs at that, then bites his lip. “He is fun, he is… sweet?”

“Shit, man, you are whipped” says Doyoung, no filter in his phrase. It makes Taeyong jolt on his chair and look at the others that are looking at him in a similar way. “I mean, I’m not surprised after all this time, but you sound like you write your names together in your diary and put a heart around them”

“Don’t overdo it, Doie, we just play around”

“Yeah, everyone knows that a trait everyone wants in their fuckbuddies is being  _ sweet _ ” 

“It can perfectly be!” protests Taeyong, annoyed for a reason he is not really aware of and he doesn’t stop to think about it. “I’m not a piece of meat, you know? Rough sex doesn’t mean I want it mean after I’m done”

“I can’t argue with that” says Doyoung. “No one wants to be treated like a trash bag” 

“So he is the rough, hard type” teases Jungwoo. Johnny rolls his eyes by his side, but Taeyong is not intimidated, shrugging with a sly smile. “That’s one hell of a ride”

“If he wants, yes, he is” 

“But what do you want?” insists Doyoung. "Don't make that face to me.” He warns, just as fasts as Taeyong rolls his eyes a second time. “I ask because we know that there was admiration there before you could meet him”

“Honestly, Taeyong” interferes Johnny. “The way you speak about him is not very… friendly. It’s what people usually like in a person. Like, for the long run” 

"We are not at that lane"

“Yeah, but you can still expect more. You have talked about him hundreds of times, and we have heard what you said about him. Understand it, he is not the usual fuckbudy that people meet on Tinder, you have history, and I bet no one here wants you to… suffer" 

Taeyong opens his mouth to reply, but he has to close it as fast, caught with the guards down.

Being hurt by Ten is something that he hasn't thought about before, he has only been moving with the flow, but Doyoung’s resonated advice has sounded so… compelling. 

There is a possibility that despite being gentle and sweet, Ten could hurt him by accident. He could get hurt by the difference in the depth of their feelings if that ever happened. 

And Taeyong had started the race ahead of him.

One thing was being told off by Johnny and his jealousy, but getting a real warning that minded his feelings is much more scary. 

"I don't know?"

"You don't?"

"No? Stop asking me, tho" 

“Okay” Doyoung shrugs then, but it doesn’t help Taeyong any better. 

Doyoung takes his mug and starts drinking with that look on his face that’s all about the ‘if you say so’ kind of response, just in a non-verbal way. 

Maybe Taeyong is passing over something obvious with the excuse of just wanting to have fun because he is scared to admit that there’s something more to it that Ten is not ready to have. 

He has been taking steps towards him for years. 

He had had all that time to fall for him, but not Ten. 

“God, Doyoung, I fucking hate you”

*******

“So, now that we are hanging out alone, I need all the details” says Jungwoo for what it seems the nth time for Taeyong.

In the last few days, the youngest of the group has been sticking around with him, mostly. He suspects that it has to do with the fact that him and Johnny seem to disagree in everything now, being blind enough to believe it's a real fight and not a huge misunderstanding. 

But actually, Taeyong is going with it because Johnny also appears to be grumpy around him. 

That's not good. 

He already had to admit to himself that Doyoung could be right with his theories about Taeyong's feelings working in a way the man is not still ready to handle; but also admitting that Ten had a point when he said that Johnny was more head over heels for Taeyong that the tailor himself could understand, is too much. 

He bites his lip down, knowing that he has to get to the bottom of the matter. 

"I already told you, Woo. We met because his PA reached my mother and she gave me the job, then we hit it off and things got intense. And now we are here, fucking sporadically" 

"Yeah, but you told me some other stuff, remember?" He insists, putting too much sugar on the bowl he has in front of him, aiming to make pancakes for both of them after Taeyong forgot to have lunch again. "You said he took you out for dinner once, I remember that"

Taeyong smiles, almost wanting to blame himself for the recurrent gush of happiness that that memory brings him. 

Ten really looked great that night with his sky blue suit. His smile was so cute and his voice so sweet while they joked about the food they liked and the dessert.

He shakes his head, trying to get rid of that. 

"To be fair, I didn’t say it, you forced it out of me" 

"The same. So? Where did he take you?"

"It’s called 'So What', I think. It's in Itaewon, they serve Thai food"

"Ah, I think I know it. Fancy, uh?" He says, wiggling his eyebrows at Taeyong with pomp and ceremony. "Was it a date, then?" 

"You've got flour on your face" 

"Thanks" Jungwoo brushes his cheek with the back of his sleeve, eliciting a scrunch of the order's nose for the very small care for the tidiness of his clothes. "But that doesn't stop me from asking, I am not a child"

Taeyong laughs, starting to give up. He is not that much of a strong-willed person when it comes to his friends teasing him and asking questions. It has no point now they know, anyways. 

"Yeah, it was fancy. It was pretty elegant, and the food was amazing. I had fun" he bites his lips again, thinking that he indeed had fun that night, despite the torture he got after he was done with it.

Then, Ten had promised him to melt him down with pleasure once the moment arrived. 

Shit, he is a man of word.

"So does he know how to keep a conversation or were you just looking at his pretty face the entire time?" 

"Can I be honest, Jungwoo?" Asks Taeyong, sounding nervous to the core. 

"Sure"

"I am worried"

"About what?" Replies the younger, putting the whisk down on the bowl and paying full attention to him. 

"I told you once. Sure, you didn’t know I was so serious about it, but I told you I didn't know what to feel about him"

"Oh… yeah, I remember that" 

"Like, okay, I admit he is everything that turns me on. His eyes make me burn"

"That's what I wanted to hear about!" Yells Jungwoo, making him laugh. The youngest has something that lifts everyone's mood in a blink, and he appreciates that. "He is attractive? In the sexy personality way, I mean, because he sure is handsome and all of that, he is a model and bla bla bla, but he is... you know? Entertaining?"

"Yes, he is feisty, can tease me endlessly and I swear that he has the best butt I have ever seen" They both chuckle with the latter remark, but soon, Taeyong puts a serious face again. "The problem is that the real life Ten comes with more than what Instagram Ten does" 

"Understandable. But... for example?" 

Taeyong has his eyes lost in the pancake batter of the bowl, ashamed. 

Oh no. That's not good. 

"He is cute" he murmurs, barely audibly. "He is really cute"

"What kind of cute? Cute like 'I'll let him bang me in the bathroom right now' or cute like 'I can have a date renting a boat with him in the park'?" 

"We… we cleared the first one already"

"Oh wow, man" whistles Jungwoo, amused. "Really?"

He nods. "I told you I had fun going out for dinner"

"I see" he chuckles. "An 'all you can eat' situation right there, uh?"

"Gosh, Jungwoo, you don't have to be so graphic!"

"Okay, okay" he laughs. "So what now? You want to go for the second option? Date at the park?" 

"I don't know. Maybe it's a bit soon for something like that, but a part of me feels like I could do something similar with him and enjoy it. Like, he is interesting and smart... I think we could have fun spending time together"

"Hmm… you are getting there"

"Where?"

"Crush line"

"Sounds as bad as Doyoung said?" He finally inquires, seeking an answer to the questions his mind has been chewing. "I'm whipped?"

The way his hands tremble and his heart races when Ten's text kept arriving during the week to ask him about his day or show him a random picture of the sky, or flowers, or his cats, makes him scared. 

It bothers him. Once that he got rid of the nerves that Ten made sprout in him because of his expectations, he got new ones. Harder ones. The type of nerves that come from being afraid to break something and lose it. 

He could pass without a fuckbuddy, life without sex is perfectly possible. But he doesn't know to what point it's only the sex what he likes about Ten and that's breaking his brain apart. 

"I'm going to be honest, Yong, I can't know what you feel like, but Doyoung had a point" 

"Yeah?"

"You have a thing for him, not just the hots. It's enough hearing you say those things about him to know. You always said you like how he talks and the things he expresses with his style and his words, from the start. I am not an artist, but if you feel his mood so deep, I guess that's maybe because you got chemistry with him, or at least interest in a person like him, right?" 

"It’s too soon to feel like this" he says, trying to argue, more with himself than with his friend. "I shouldn't be thinking about this now"

"Why not?"

"Because it's too easy and pathetic, it can't be happening like this" 

"It sucks, but you can’t choose the pace to fall for someone" sighs Jungwoo, playing with the pancake mix dripping from the whisks. "It just happens, no matter if you are ready for it or if it fucks you up" 

Taeyong looks at him, whose eyes are lost in the bowl just as he had been minutes before. He has sounded way too low to be the happy virus of the group, and the older pities him, knowing what he is talking about.

"Did something happen with you and Johnny? You guys seem distant these days" 

Jungwoo sighs, telling Taeyong with only the way his shoulders sink down that he has hit the target. 

He doesn't really understand what makes Jungwoo so sad. According to Johnny in that infamous day he had interrupted his business with Ten, they had kissed and the older had liked the kiss. 

Maybe Johnny is still too stubborn and confused to mend his fuck-up. 

"I got greedy for love"

"What happened? You wanna talk about it?" 

"We were at my house the other day, when we watched the movie. He was feeling low…"

"Why?" 

It's not like he needs this explanation from Jungwoo, since Johnny had already confessed the whole ordeal to him, but it wouldn't make things easier for anyone to say now that he knew both of the sides of the story.

Jungwoo makes obvious, with the quiet- and certainly accusatory- glance that he dedicates to Taeyong, that the thing is related to him in the worst way possible. 

He presses his lips in a thin line.  "I'm sorry, Woo, I didn’t know I hit him that way" 

That's true, anyways. He thought Johnny and Jungwoo would figure things out by themselves if he gave them a little push, but now everything seemed even worse.  As if he pushed them but down a cliff.

"Yeah, well, you do"

"I'm sorry"

"It's what it is, hating you wouldn't take me anywhere"

"Thanks" he says, feeling stupid about it. Being grateful that someone doesn't hate you because a third party has an unrequited crush on you is so dumb and awkward, but he doesn't know what else he cold say to his friend "So you were at your house and he was low. What happened then?"

"Yeah, he was complaining because he wants to flip the page, your page, but it's hard. So I don't know, I was trying to comfort him and… I guess I'm so worn out that coming that close to him while bottling up gets me spent, so I had the slip and kissed him" 

"Oh, damn, you did?"

"Yeah"

"And it wasn't good?" He asks, knowing what the answer is probably going to be.

"It was  _ great _ " mutters Jungwoo, throwing the whisk back into the bowl and making the pancake mix jump from it onto Taeyong's kitchen counter. He sounds beyond frustrated, sad and bitter enough to pull Taeyong down with him in a second hand ache. "But he, you know? He is always so considerate it becomes a flaw. He looked at me all soft and said he didn't want to force me to do that because I was feeling pity for him" 

"Oh, Johnny…" 

"Right. I was like 'this is not pity' and his stubborn ass had the audacity to say that it was, and that the other time at my friend's party, what we did, it was out of spite"

"He told you that?" Jungwoo nods. Taeyong didn’t know that part before, since Johnny hadn't explained the entire argument, but it makes his heart break for Junwgwoo. "What an asshole"

He starts feeling mad at Johnny again just by looking at the youngest friends and the way he smudges more of the flour on his hand onto his face when he does his best to press down a tear. Ugh, why making things so hard? Him and Ten. Jungwoo and Johnny. It wasn't so hard to see. 

Not for him. 

"So yeah, we fought over it and now things are broken. Like, what do I say? Do I swallow my feelings and apologise for throwing a tantrum? I don’t wanna do that. I want him to apologize to me, because he was the one who hurt me and for once, for once, I owe myself some fucking respect, jesus" 

"I'm sorry to hear that, Woo" Taeyong approaches him more, rubbing circles with his hand on Jungwoo's back, between his shoulder blades, hoping that he could soothe him at the very least. "Maybe is not that bad. Give him some time to think and figure himself out"

"It hurts that he even has to think so much about it, you know? I know I wouldn't hesitate to stop a bullet for him"

He feels like all of it is his fault. Lowkey, all of it  _ is _ his fault.

Perhaps he should have refrained from telling Jungwoo to do something with his thing with Johnny, misjudging the depth of the man's feelings for him. 

His heart feels a thorn of pain, out of a sudden. He has been breaking things, having mindless fun with Ten and being selfish and now he is left with two of his friends mad at each other, one crying over the other, and the other crying over him. 

And him? It's not any better. Just a mess of thoughts and confusion tangling in his chest and not knowing how to pull it out. 

Just because he wrote his number on Ten's ticket. 

"Shit, Jungwoo, I am so sorry"

"No, it's okay" says the youngest, sniffing and cleaning his face with a paper towel he has yanked from Taeyong's counter. "I kinda knew it would happen and took the step anyway, so I guess now he knows that he has to flip the page with you... and I know I have to flip the page with him. It's fun, if you ignore the cynic part. Taeyong?"

Jungwoo turns around, searching for the blonde, who has walked back a few steps to conceal that his eyes are watering too. 

"Oh, gosh"

"Are you okay? Don't worry for me, I'm fine" he says, giving him a smile. "For real, Taeyong, it hurt but is not like it sunk my entire life"

That makes Taeyong feel even worse, for he is not really crying due to empathy for his friend but for a pity on himself. 

So wrong. 

Taeyong shakes his head, trying to ease his concerned look. "I think I'm a bit overwhelmed today, I have many things to do and…" 

It’s not exactly a lie.

His appearance in the Fashion Week and the feedback in his social media had exploded and condensed into a rain of calls and commissions that he is currently trying to balance out with his job at the atelier. 

At least his mother is being comprehensive with that and has reduced his turn to a part job equivalent. It was less money in his salary for his mom to be able to afford another employee that covered his hours, but it didn't matter, the commissions pay really nice. 

Yet, it's not the complete reason he has to brush Jungwoo away. 

"We can leave the pancakes for another time if you want, I know I dropped by a bit suddenly"

Jungwoo is making his tears plunge faster with all his words. 

What is he doing? He just can't stop, he feels disgusting.

"That would be neat. I am sorry, Woo, for real"

"Don't be, I rather be helpful for you. Come on, come with me to the door, okay?"

"You are helpful, but I'm… tired" he says, following Jungwoo out of the kitchen and across the living room to pick up his coat and keys and go to the door.

"It’s okay, Taeyong, seriously. I'll be back when you feel better. You can always call me if you change your mind" 

This is so dumb. He is supposed to be the one that comforts Jungwoo, who has his heart broken, not the other way around. 

"So can you. Tell me if you need to stay"

"Yah, don't make me repeat it" he says, putting his hands on Taeyong's shoulder and giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm perfect, I promise" 

"Okay"

"Take a nap, have a shower, eat an apple" he continues, comically enough to make Taeyong smile through the tears. "Do your beauty routine and rest a bit, dude. Look at all that work" Jungwoo points at the coffee table of his living room, where he had left a bunch of files with papers and designs for his private commission. It's a big pile and it only contains half of his due work for the month, so he can see where Jungwoo is coming from. "Do you want to end up evolving into Doyoung the hermit?"

Taeyong chuckles softly. "No, I guess I don't"

"Then take a break and be with yourself if that’s what you need, just for a while"

*******

When Taeyong wakes up from the nap, he feels a little bit disoriented. 

He can't recall when he fell completely asleep, but he is laying on the living room's sofa and the file of his latest design is open on the coffee table recriminating him the mess he has done. 

He sighs, fed up with the work and done with himself. 

Since he had breakfast with his friends the past Sunday after the eventful night he had had with Ten, Taeyong has barely left the house or taken a break for himself. 

Yeah, he had completed a commissions in the time being, and that is great, but Jungwoo had been right about Taeyong slowly getting his line slanted towards the attitude of their friend Doyoung. 

Again, Doyoung doesn’t actively like to be lonely, is just that he is going through a… phase, you may say. 

The phase of feeling quite lonely but still rejecting people that approach you to help. 

Taeyong wouldn't blame him, thought, he had been like that before too. It's weird, annoying. You crave attention but not the kind of attention your friends can give you. 

Doyoung is just probably inclined to feel a bit needy of some love, but he is too prideful to admit it to the rest of them. He has always been like that, wanting to show all the time that he has everything under control and needs no one to sustain himself and his sanity.

Taeyong is a huge supporter of standing by one's self, but he also knew everyone needs some warmth sometimes. He wishes he could get that idea through Doyoung's thick skull. 

However, it is not like Taeyong should be having problems to deal with that sort of deprivation. After all, Ten is supposed to be at his disposition for when his body feels cold. 

As soon as he thinks about the words “at his disposition” in relation with the model, Taeyong feels a subtle something inside him. 

A spark. 

It’s very clear already that he would have ran to Ten whenever the model seemed to be keen to meet up or suggest something to do together. Indeed, he had, for example for the infamous dinner they had together. 

The thing that Taeyong hadn’t grasped yet is that it's a deal that moves both ways. 

He had the right, the possibility, of asking Ten for the same, right? They solve each other's boredom, that's what they had agreed. 

And right now Taeyong is in high need to be entertained. 

Lifting himself up on his elbows he searches for his phone quickly and unlocks the device, finding that he, in fact, has messages from that particular chat waiting to be read.

[16:36] Ten🔥: it’s raining outside, take your umbrella if you go out

[16:56] Ten🔥: i don’t really like the rain, it makes me miss the sun 

[16:57] Ten🔥: but i admit the sound is nice if you hear it from inside the house

[16:57] Ten🔥: maybe you had a point with the whole snow wedding thing 

[16:57] Ten🔥: but just maybe

[17:47] Ten🔥: you are so quiet today, babe 

Taeyong is very surprised by all those little messages unfolding on his screen. 

Ten seems to be a bit idle today, leaving tiny little pieces of his mind for Taeyong to enjoy just because it has become a habit between both the men to comment trivial -and somewhat lovely- things. 

He knows this is not new of today, he knows that Ten has done this for a while now, but he doesn’t really have the notions of where it started. There’s not a clear line. He is not so surprised about that, Ten doesn’t seem to be a fan of drawing lines anywhere. 

He chuckles for himself. 

[18:34] Babyboy 💕: you seem to have been missing me

[18:35] Ten🔥: i would say the word is concerned 

Taeyong is surprised once more by the earnest answer, a stir of feelings coming to his chest making him want to do so many things that maybe would make him seem senseless. 

[18:35] Babyboy 💕: concerned? About me?

[18:35] Babyboy 💕: Why? 

[18:35] Ten🔥: since you have been so quiet lately and specially today

[18:35] Ten🔥: i thought that maybe i was hitting a line 

[18:35] Babyboy 💕: hitting a line?

[18:35] Ten🔥: maybe i did something you don't like...

[18:35] Babyboy 💕: nah, i have just been very busy with work

[18:36] Babyboy 💕: tbh i fell asleep like a corpse rn I just woke up

[18:36] Ten🔥: hahaha

[18:36] Ten🔥: tired?

[18:36] Babyboy 💕: not anymore 

Taeyong is biting his thumb, kind of wondering how to tackle the question he wants to make, but there are not too many ways around it. 

There shouldn’t be a necessity to make it look specially enigmatic, either. 

He swallows as he types in the line and presses the send button. 

[18:36] Babyboy 💕: are u doing something now? want to come over?

He bites his lip down, maybe too hard. 

Why is he so nervous for a simple thing like this? He has already cleared up in his mind that they are even in the right to ask the other to be around, he has already seen him naked too, and has watched how Ten approached to do his worst with him; it has no point to be all shaky while waiting for his answer while the typing symbol appears on the top bar by Ten’s name. 

It’s not a bad type of nerves, though, but more like a sensation coiling in his stomach and making him smile like a dumbass and remember. Especially remember. Remember how nice it is to have Ten kissing the stress away from his body. 

[18:37] Ten🔥: okay, sure, I’m not doing anything in particular rn

[18:37] Ten🔥: what you wanna do?

[18:37] Ten🔥: or let me guess

[18:38] Ten🔥: you woke up needy from your nap?

[18:38] Babyboy 💕: you don’t know my secret, Tennie

[18:38] Ten🔥: ohhh...hahaha

[18:38] Ten🔥: “tennie”

[18:38] Ten🔥: then tell me, babe, what’s the secret i should know

Taeyong gives a dark smile to the screen, as if his look would turn the words he types in the screen get soaked with the tone he would want to give to them if he could whisper them close to Ten.

[18:38] Babyboy 💕: I’m 

[18:38] Babyboy 💕: Always

[18:38] Babyboy 💕: Needy 

[18:38] Ten🔥: not 

[18:38] Ten🔥: gonna

[18:38] Ten🔥: complain 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	15. Hit and sunk

At first, Taeyong’s idea is that he shouldn’t overdo it in the closet, since he doesn't want to look desperate for dick; but then he rethinks about it.

Theoretically, the fact that he is about to make it go down with Ten is already a sure thing after the heated up conversation they had via kakaotalk, so him putting his wardrobe a bit over the top doesn't make it look actually eager, but more like confident and keen. 

Right?

Well, he thinks so, so he wears his white two piece tracksuit with sky blue tie-dye patterns on it. Is not really a sporting tracksuit at this rate, the pants are comfortable and adjust to his hips perfectly, while the hoodie has been cropped and stripped from its original purpose of giving warmth, and now it lets a rather large plane of Taeyong’s belly show, especially when he moves his arms; which is perfect for what he intends to do.

He even smears some golden and brown shadow on his eyes and a flick of eyeliner, clipping his hair behind his ears to keep it out from his face, as if he looked like any of that while he was working in his designs and not like a dying mess. 

Everything screams an innocently naughty 'oh, Ten, you got me with my guards down but I look so damn good…'. He likes the thin line that makes people doubt if he was truly working or just planning everything like a chaotic horny boy without a real confirmation for any option. 

Let Ten rack his brain for a little sounds perfect. 

It's fair, right? He plays against a model so he can use the cheats to look extra good. 

He doesn't regret a single bit of it, it's all worth it when the doorbell rings and he opens his door for Ten. 

The model has a visible pause in his normal function to let his eyes scan the boy in front of him, blatantly shameless. It’s the sort of gaze that both questioned where all of that came from so suddenly and rejoiced with the fact it’s there. 

Still wanting all of that, thankfully. The desire certainly hasn't died down in him after the first fuck. 

Good for Taeyong. 

"Hey, Ten. Do you wanna come in?" 

The thai seems to wake up as if the tailor had snapped his fingers for him, giving him a gesture with his head as he opens the door wider. 

"Hi-hi. Is nice to see you" he greets, stepping in the hall and closing the door behind him. "Very nice, damn" 

Taeyong chuckles, catching the last whisper of his guest on the fly for almost inaudible it has been. 

"You are not so bad yourself" 

Once more, Ten's daily wardrobe isn't as flashy as the pieces he wears at parties or photoshoots, but it's expressive enough for the tailor's liking. He is wearing a very colourful and erratically patterned shirt and a pair of blue jeans. The triad of buttons he never seems to close gives room to an alignment of thin necklaces layered on his collar, where a golden pendant surrounded by crystal is the main focus. 

"I hope so, to be honest I just wore something random and came here when you texted me"

"Were you super bored like that?"

"Does it show up so much?" 

"You were talkative in Katak, so I guessed" 

"Yeah, days with no schedules are weird" admits Ten, scratching the back of his head. "Summer is starting and trends change, as a designer you already know that. As a model… I gotta wait for like a week, when all designer's submissions that get in with the new season get through the creative funnel and make everyone rush out of a sudden" 

"Your agency accepts submissions?" Asks Taeyong intrigued. Not every company works like that, most of them try to find their own collaborations themselves. 

"Don't know how that part works, but yeah"

Taeyong nods and hums, taking Ten's cute leather bag to hang it on the hall's rack and move on further into the house. 

"What's with the bag?" He points out. 

"Ah, yeah" Ten looks at the paper bag he has been carrying, holding it up for Taeyong too, who picks it up and takes an enlightening look into the content. "I brought you your things back, the ones you left in my house" 

"Clean, I hope" says Taeyong, amused, picking up his special toy and wiggling it in the air with a chuckle.

"Yes, your plug as well as the shirt" says Ten, voice getting kind of fiery. He moves in closer to the older, hands caressing his shoulders and thumbs lifting Taeyong's face up towards him. "As I said, I care about your health" 

"Let me correct your words" he dares to say, remembering how much he likes to tense the string that pulls from Ten. "You said you cared about my dick's wellbeing"

"It’s non-exclusive" 

"It’s less greedy if you phrase it like this now, almost seems like you care for me" 

Ten chuckles, and for a second Taeyong believes that it's because the model doesn't know what to answer. That assumption is soon discharged when his lips get caught under Ten's hot mouth, crushing on him without further ado, just in the hallway of his house and still in front of the door. 

He feels the rush going through his veins in a split second, making him wake up completely under the moist, vivid contact of their lips molding to each other and playing together. 

His back straightens up as Ten slightly pushes him against the wall and moves closer to him, cornering him there whilst his hands hold his face.

Taeyong clutches his hands at the sides of Ten’s shirt, pushing him closer and enjoying the breathless kiss and the knowledge of really having the model at his disposition. 

There’s so much potential in something like that. 

"Hey, baby" Asks Ten with a shaky breath that moves Taeyong too fast. When his tone goes lower, he sounds crazy sexy. "Want to pick up when we left it?"

He nods, ditching the slow pace of teasing they had been playing with all the time.

"I think we were at my room, I was showing you my collection and you were about to get me done on my bed"

"Was I?"

"I think so, you felt like touching fucking fire so I bet you were dying to push me to the bed" 

"Can't say I wasn't"

"It would be a waste to let that go" 

"Yeah"

Who are they trying to convince with all of that but each other and themselves?

This is it. 

"Then come"

Taeyong takes Ten's hand on his and leads the way to his room for a second time, kicking the door closed in his way. There's no one home, but it's more emphatic to get themselves in a close space. 

The model is giggling under his breath, probably just as amused as Taeyong is, noticing their haste today just like the older.

"Damn, can we talk about my day?" Jokes Ten, inching closer to Taeyong to kiss him. 

However, the tailor leans back a little, trying his best to contain the chuckle when Ten's expression turns into confusion, lips parted and waiting like a goldfish trying to breath. 

"Okay, let's talk about your day" says Taeyong, growing confident in sight of his effect on the model, whose eyes follow him indecipherably. "What have you done today?"

"I… It was a joke, babe" 

He tries his best to not laugh with the stammer, turning his back to Ten to open his drawer and leave the ungodly plug with the rest of his collection. 

He likes this. Is not what he usually does, but he loves the way Ten's eyes burn on his skin when he turns around with a graceful spin and gives him a smile. 

He takes his time going back at him, moving his hands up to Ten's shoulder and smiling impishly.

He can see how the model struggles to swallow down the longing that consumes him, feeling powerful knowing that is all because of him. 

He forces their fronts together and gets his face to close the gap between their lips with a peck that's barely there. He puts his best act into action, smacking his wet lips just millimeters away from Ten’s own to exhale a hot, charged blow of his breath that mingles with the quick pants of the model. 

The youngest puts his hands on Taeyong's hips and pushes him back until his calves hit the bed. 

A part of Taeyong is sure that his smug smile as he is dragged across his own dormitory is fueling Ten’s impatience even more. The model finally gives him a harder push back, hard enough to make Taeyong fall back and feel his back against the mattress with a quiet giggle, feeling his hair get out of place and spill on the duvet.

"Come for me" he teases, playing naughty and tracing a finger up his abdomen, slipping his hand under the cropped hoodie to pull it up and expose more skin. 

"Glad to"

Ten follows up, sitting astray on his hips to then go down from his lips to his neck with his mouth, where he awards Taeyong with a reddish mark like a reminder of what the afternoon is leading them to. 

Taeyong whimpers between his teeth, feeling the slight sting on the zone Ten is sucking. 

“So unfair…” he says, as his fingers wound on his double-colored hair to keep him close nonetheless. “You can mark me and brand me as yours, but I can’t leave a single mark on you”

“It’s for the good, it would get us in trouble…" he answers, eyes fluttering closed and voice wavering for the action of Taeyong’s tongue sticking out and teasing a line up on his neck. "...in so much trouble, and I... I want to keep seeing you”

“And I want to see you wear my colors”

Ten’s chest jumps, Taeyong can feel it under his palms. The jolt of his words curling over the model’s ear and moving down directly to his crotch, being topped with a small roll of his hips against Taeyong’s front.

“Is it hard to see me and keep them for yourself?” he chuckles, darkly, brushing off the direct attack. 

However, and striking the model with surprise enough for him to make his eyes grow wider, Taeyong lifts his leg and uses it as a leverage to push Ten, flipping him over on the bed again, hair messily spilling on the blush pink pillows of the older one as they both land on it like a tangle, making the springs creak under their added up weight. 

"I could ask the same. I only gave you a few minutes and I am already painted" without further ado, he tugs from Ten’s shirt, unbuttoning three buttons right away and then tossing it away as the model lets him streap him freely. "Am I so pretty for you? Uh? You want to touch me and have me so bad?"

"Shit" mewls Ten, getting pushed against the mattress while Taeyong's tongue swirls over his throat and his lip catches a spot of skin, threatening to suck hard enough to bruise him. "I- yeah"

A second later, Taeyong pulls back with the most self-satisfied smile ever, sitting up on Ten and pulling up the hoodie slowly until he gets rid of it and the garment follows Ten's shirt, bunching on the floor together and giving the model a privileged view of his body stretched and exposed towering over him. 

It makes Ten’s eyes turn all the shades of black. 

The older one presses a hand flat on Ten’s sternum and dives down slowly like a panther about to pound a prey, sucking Ten’s bottom lip onto his mouth and letting it slip out, not very mindful of whether the glistening coat of his spit drips and connects their lips for a moment before it breaks down. 

Every kiss and touch provokes a thrill that goes down to Ten’s shaft, especially when Taeyong is straddling and hovering over him, rubbing himself against his pants. 

His excitement has started to grow, and his lower stomach tenses when the tailor slips his hands past his waistband and starts taking them off, pulling down until they pool around his calves and Ten kicks them off to help him. 

He is so eager to have Taeyong, he is convinced that the model feels like that. He has made his way to his empty home in less than an hour, it's pretty clear that he is not playing hard to get anymore.

"Tae-" he is cut by the intense kiss that goes back to his lips and makes him gasp under the unyielding force taking over Taeyong.

Taeyong's mouth is everywhere; kissing his neck and shoulders, and then falling to latch on one of Ten's nipples. His back arches, and his eyes shut as his body shakes and responds to the rash ministrations of the older, playing with the bud until it hardens under his hot and wet tongue. 

The younger is arching his back to the pace, tugging his hair to get Taeyong up again in order to lace his tongue with the older. 

Taeyong is ecstatic with the reactions he is discovering in his model, who moans in the kiss and rolls his hips against his while Taeyong's hand adores his other nipple and makes it twist between his fingers.

If that is arousing the model so much, he can only think about the feeling of wrapping his tongue around his cock again and watching him shatter on his bed. 

He wants Ten all for himself, as selfish as that is, he needs Ten all for himself.

The air is getting so thick around them that it's getting hard and harder to breathe, as if they steal each other's air and Taeyong's cock is fully hard and aching to be freed from it's prison. 

" _ Ten _ " he mewls, lips parting on the model's lips when his sharp nails trace over his skin and the pain coils in his groin with the rest of the heat. 

The thai can feel the warmth of his exhale mixing with his own.

"Shit, Taeyong," He says, tugging from the older one's sweats to get rid of them, laugh messing with the stability of his chest. "What's getting into you?"

"I'm recalling how you said I don't need to be tied to behave. You know? That's true. But…" he recites, with his words dripping burning honey as he leans back to take out a couple of pink leather handcuffs from his still open drawer. "You are a bad, bad boy, so…" 

Ten's eyebrows rise, but he doesn't say anything for a moment. 

Taeyong toys with the alluring idea that he has surprised him this time. 

"Really?"

He  _ has _ , and so he keeps his decision unyielding, passing the tie of the handcuffs behind the bar at the top of his bed's header. 

"Hands up high" 

Either way, Ten's recurrent smirk of mischief makes an appearance. Slowly but compliant, he raises his arms up, above his head, crossing his wrist upon one another so Taeyong can secure them in place.

Whatever those are made of, the material inside the loops it's smooth but resistant, hugging Ten's wrists firmly when the tailor adjusts them tightly with a firm pull that makes Ten's chest taut with a held gasp. 

The excitement swirls in his stomach unavoidably whilst Taeyong crawls over him like a deadly kitten.

"When I imagined you on all fours it wasn't exactly like this" whispers Ten, but Taeyong doesn't let him intimidate him, lowering his face until their lips touch.

It's a short kiss, one that makes Ten follow him and tilt his head up, deprived of the high temperature of being kissed. 

Taeyong lowers on his bed, descending with his hands trailing Ten's sides, fingers hooking on his underwear.

Under the fabric he can see the obvious tent that has Ten anticipating the next move in an evening full of surprises. 

Taeyong leans further, his tongue sticking out to land over the head through the clothes, wetting it with his spit as Ten tries to raise his hips from the bed, humming under his breath. 

"Did I do that, baby?" He sings, devilish, rubbing up his hand across the clothed length in case Ten had any doubt of what he is talking about.

Ten chuckles, with a crooked smile, letting out an accidental, shaky breath as his dick practically jumps in his underwear with Taeyong's light touch, cuping him on his hand.

"Who else?" 

"No one else, I bet" He says softly, listening to the model gasping as his hand places between his legs and starts to firmly palm his bulge. "Who can do it like I do?"

"Fuck…" Moaning softly in surprise and pleasure, Ten squirms under Taeyong's weight, not really fighting him when he begins planting warm kisses on his stomach, his fleshy thighs, his happy trail and all the skin he can find. "I'm starting to think no one could imitate"

"No, they can't, so think that more" 

Ten throws his head back on the pillow, and his hips buck up, moaning more enthusiastically when the tailor gives him a firm squeeze before letting it go.

Without taking his eyes off him, enjoying all the little changes of his face, Taeyong reaches down with both hands and slid his briefs down, releasing his cock that raises full straight up in the air. 

Seeing it stand on its own in the light of day Taeyong finds impressive that he has indeed done that with him. 

He holds it in his hand, slowly spreading down the moist that's beading on the tip with his thumb, squeezing and rubbing paused and light enough to have Ten on the verge of breaking down with impatience. He goes up and down, dragging the pleasure too slowly and just indulges Ten when his legs start shaking, licking up to the tip and rolling his tongue over the sides to then fully take it in his mouth. 

He works it with his tongue, slowly, with all his attention in making Ten keep doing what he is doing, with his body jolting at the sluggish sensation of his tongue dragging a long stroke up to the tip driving him insane. 

He sucks gently around the head, wrapping his hand around the base of his cock. 

Taeyong looks at him in the eyes, rejoicing in the visible struggle that pollutes Ten from the inside and is making him have to fight the sheer necessity of lifting his hips and trusting in his mouth quite impolitely. 

The model seems to like it anyways, the smile is in his face while his eyes squint hard and his moans come more and more often.

Taeyong begins to move his hand faster and draws patterns on the tip with his lips and his tongue before fully encaving the shaft again, hollowing his cheeks and sucking hard on the leaking dick.

"I'm so close" Ten whines, making music for Taeyong’s ears. 

He lets go of his cock with a wet  _ pop _ of his mouth, hand still working on it with a vice grip that makes him wet.

"What was that now?"

Ten's chuckle is choked up. "I'm going to cum, babe"

Taeyong has his eyes nailed on Ten’s pretty model face, watching his lips part in silent whispers of his name with his hair spilling on the pink pillow of his bed, as he has always imagined he could look in his damp dreams. 

He lowers himself more in between Ten’s thighs, and presses his tongue flat on Ten's entrance, making him jolt and gasp with the feeling and the shock. 

Not with little surprise, he soon finds himself holding Ten still, pulling him up so he would lift his hips for him and sliding a pillow under his back to keep him up. 

Maybe he is more eager than he should, but it's just sex, it doesn't matter how much he makes himself familiar with Ten's taste as his tongue circles and licks his hole, nor the way the model's scent fills him in now that he has his face pressed against his crotch. There's no better excuse than being down there, nested between his legs, to tell himself that everything is fine and all he feels is the sexual tension wrecking them both.

Right now, it is.

He flicks his tongue over the bud, making it slick before he sticks out his tongue and forces the tip inside, lapping it with a long stroke that makes Ten moan the best of his sounds so far. 

"Taeyong, that's-" Ten blinks fast, but Taeyong can't see that, for his eyes are closed while he sucks and licks passionately. He, nonetheless, can listen to the breathy sound of Ten's words and feel the drops of transparent arousal that are trickling down from his cock and onto his cheek. "Great, it’s great"

Ten can't help himself, starting a slow grind against his mouth, both of them moaning with desire as Taeyong gets carried away by the sensual moves and sounds of Ten and his tongue massaging his walls, wanting more. 

He loves to do that on him, he really takes pride in the reactions that make Ten yelp and gasp. 

He pulls away from him, needing the air, leaving Ten to catch his breath as well and curl on the bed while the older one slips a hand under the set of pillows under the model’s hair, taking out a small bottle of lube. 

“Do you keep that there all the time?” asks Ten, panting but amused to say the least. 

“You’d be surprised” he jokes, pouring a bit of the sticky substance on his fingers and warming it up as he coats his digits with it. 

“Honestly? That's not hard to believe today, you are very much surprising me”

Taeyong smiles way too angelic to discern if it’s a real treat of his personality or just a little bit of an act to appeal even more to the man laying on his bed while he stays up on his knees, spreading Ten’s legs further apart gently. 

"And you like that?"

The model nods.

It’s surprising that Ten happens to be able to be a good boy, after all. Damn, he wants to give everything to him already if he behaves like that. 

Pushing the first finger in it’s more than easy, the model is excited and wet with his spit already, so a finger covered in lube is just one more thing in the equation. 

Without problems, he pumps it in and out, feeling the softness of the stroke. Ten faintly sounds, feeling more and more of the hectic rush of lust.

The thai have so much dare all the time, maybe that's what settles Taeyong off so fast, but today he sets the rhythm. 

He curls his finger and pusses deep slowly going in and out of his guest, who's having one deep breath to relax himself as Taeyong pumps inside faster. 

It's cold and wet in a way that becomes really pleasant for his nerve endings, making him alight. The burn of discomfort is too little under the pressure of bliss, and soon, Taeyong knows Ten can take more than that, adding another finger into him.

He pushes in careful but relentless, his fingers managing to squeeze inside him, causing Ten to let out a soft and involuntary moan.

"Shit" 

Ten moves slightly in the bed, tilting his body to the side and passing his leg over Taeyong's shoulder, leaving the latter deliciously surprised with how flexible he is. 

The expression of both pleasure and pain on his features look gorgeous on Ten. 

Before any of them could say anything else, Taeyong smiles to himself and lets his mouth take participation in the stretching again, leaning on him and slipping it between his index and middle fingers.

The entirety of Ten's body shudders, blinding his mind with the liquid feeling that dribbles from the middle of his legs with anticipation. 

His hips jerk up against Taeyong sharply, making the older pull back.

"Slowly. Slowly. I don't want you to cum yet" whispers Taeyong. His voice tries to be sluggish and sensual, but deep inside he is melting to an extent, for Ten's cheeks have been flushing pink and he looks… amazing. 

Not amazing like in the photoshoots, when he poses with makeup and the best sets of brand clothing. His beauty now goes beyond all of that. It's entrancing and exclusive of the moment, glowing like a lit candle. 

"I don't have all the grit you think I do"

He is looking at him through his lashes, and knows for Ten's reaction that he is close to hitting his prostate, as the room fills up with his sounds that came out accidentally because of the increasing pleasure while his hole adjusts to a sensation he likes so much. 

"Then I will work it until you can't hold it. I want you to come so hard you forget who you are"

Ten only groans in response and Taeyong's heavy breathing joins in, seeing the whole thing, looking up as he plays with his tongue.

It's so hot that Ten can feel the cool air on the spit drenched area and it makes him shake and give up onto the pillow while Taeyong's fingers move inside him, each caress and stroke bringing a spasm down to his cock.

With one or two pushes more, Taeyong's bony fingers are up to his knuckles, almost touching the sweet spot that he is avoiding on purpose to desperate the youngest, who pushes back onto the intrusion. 

The feeling of being touched deep inside jab through him and made the thai moan with his eyes squinting hard. 

Taeyong moves, twisting and letting it go as far as it could go, playing with his senses 

“Oh, damn, fuck” 

“Feels good or not?” giggles Taeyong, watching Ten having a stirring of impressions reflecting on his features. 

Full of joy, he pulls out halfway out again, scissoring his fingers and making him stretch quite a bit.

“You know it does” 

"Yes, your face says all" 

“I’m- _ oohnng _ ” He can’t finish the answer, as Taeyong shifts on the bed, and the twist of his body in a new angle, together with the way he pushes his fingers back in, hits on his sweet spot straight up. Ten moves too, trying to mend it and only makes it worse, his eyes rolling back accidentally in front of Taeyong who, let’s say it too, has a smile on his face mixing with pure awe. “Taeyong!”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No!” he exclaims more than enthusiastic, giggling and making the older one giggle too. "Not now, please"

"Well, I am not as cruel as you, so you can't really be afraid of being left unsatisfied and tied to my bed, right?" 

"The way you say it actually makes me shiver" he cries out, feeling himself closer to release with only Taeyong's fingers driving him wild. "Would you?"

"A part of me wants you to taste your own medicine, you know?" Taeyong leans on the header, head hanging over Ten as he looks him dead in the eye with an impish smile. "But you make me so hot and bothered that I would be on the losing side" 

He pulls his fingers out from his hot hole, watching with devotion how Ten's torso is wet with precum and so are his sheets under him, understanding he has done all of that to him. 

The model is open-mouth panting, watching Taeyong lean towards the drawer of his night table, searching for something hiding under all the stuff there to take out a small foil package. 

"Oh, baby, yes" he barely breathes. "Get that right here"

"Yeah? Really want me inside?"

Ten nods, licking his lips, and so Taeyong has nothing more to doubt, tearing the wrapper apart. 

He gets rid of his underwear finally, his needy cock springing free. He swallows down a hiss, standing on his knees with his legs apart, putting his hand around it and trying not to break down as he pumps himself. He nibbles at his bottom lip, not sure if he is going to be able to stop, eyes gazing up to look at Ten's swoony eyes drinking from the lascivious view. 

His lips are parted, his expression a scene of adoration and yearning that shoots Taeyong back to what he was doing like a sling, so he rolls down the condom and lubes it up some more despite Ten's moist entrance. 

He doesn't want to break him in any case. 

Lust crosses the younger's face as Taeyong takes his hardness to line it up with his entrance, rubbing circles over it and making him throb more with the anticipation of being deliciously stretched. 

Taeyong is sweet and careful overall, but the demanding edge that lingers over him is astonishing. He has a bit of both, branding him among the bittersweet spectrum that Ten likes the most. 

Slowly, Taeyong shifts his hips just slightly back and forth as he pushes into the model, standing the burning stretch that two fingers couldn't prepare him for, and then he suddenly shudders and pushes back against Taeyong.

He is just about halfway inside him and his legs are already trembling. Yet he spreads them further apart for Taeyong to lean on him and hold his hips against the mattress. 

“You are tight. A lot” he mumbles through his teeth, feeling the asphyxiating hot embrace of Ten's walls around him as he bottoms out and sinks all the way down. 

"Taeyong, fuck" whimpers the model, feeling his dick rubbing up against his walls. "Deeper, do it deeper" he groans with his heart pounding. 

He needs a moment to look down and observe that he is buried in no one else but Ten Lee, to the hilt. The model wraps his legs around his hips pushing him towards him harder. Taeyong rolls his hips with his arms prompted on the header of the bed again and looking down at Ten. 

His heartbeat goes erratic when he sees him down there on his pink sheets trying to catch his breath, his lips bruised, red and glistening like a ripe fruit. 

Taeyong pulls back out to a pleased moan, privating Ten from the fullness momentaneously.

Ten is flushed and messy, his eyes full of desire and hunger, but not rushing him to move even though it's clear he needs it. 

He pulls back in with a bit of force, and he moans loudly this time.

No, he can't fight the craving when Ten mewls and purrs like that, pumping in and out, in and out, rhythmically to start satisfying both of them as soon as possible.

He likes it hard and rough, but he doesn't know if Ten can take it like that being so tight; which he discovers in a second, when he gyrates his hips and strikes right into the bundle of nerves that sends the thai squinting his eyes and arching his back up from the bed with an intense moan.

"Taeyong, again!" 

Shit, he sounds so good that Taeyong can't keep it for himself, kneeling in front of the model, clawing on his thighs and pushing his knees to his chests, folding him and pounding in faster. 

The tug of the handcuffs on the metal header sounds like a bell holding Ten's arms up, pinned down with no escape as he squirms, but Taeyong has closed his eyes focusing on the feeling that rushes through his body with each thrust.

He can hear the irregular whimpers of Ten, and babbling a trail of incoherent things. 

His Ten. 

"You are all mine" he says, still panting and out of his mind with such a raw need to hear it out loud. "You heard that?" 

"Yes"

"Say it"

"Y-yes"

"Say it"

"Lee Taeyong..."

"Say it, Ten"

" _ Ahh _ -I'm yours!" He cries out loudly, feeling Taeyong slamming into him and his sweet spot, not getting tired of it. "God, this is so good, don't stop, don't stop, please" 

He can't writhe or twist while he thrusts in a frenzied way, since he is tied to the bed, making everything too much for his mind to handle, pleasure going ahead of him.

Ten can feel the pressure and delight building deep down his lower stomach as it goes stronger and stronger and his breath grows heavier. The blonde is looking down, so transfixed in the sheer joy of his face and his sounds that he becomes senseless in the spot, forgetting to be collected at all if he has ever been.

He goes fast, faster, gasping for air and leaning closer to Ten, searching for the bars of the header to hold on them and keep up the pace. The amazing sensation of the model's wall clenching around him puts him closer to the edge. 

The metal of the handcuffs tie clashes against the header with a tug from Ten in the middle of a burning flare. 

"Want to touch yourself?" Groans Taeyong, quite sure of the answer. Ten nods. It's not hard to imagine, the eldest can feel it hard and throbbing caught between their bodies. "Ah, so sorry. Hands free, baby, no touching" 

Ten smirks in silence, his ragged breath doesn't let him say much more about it. 

"You naughty little slut" 

It sounds almost pitiful with the way his voice is strangled with so much pleasure gathering inside him and clogging his lungs and his brain. 

"Yes I am" he groans, lowering himself onto his ear. "I'm the slut you like" 

The feel of Ten abruptly tensing around his cock, hugging him as his body shocks makes Taeyong's eyes roll back, a moan from his lips being drowned by the high screech coming from his throat as he finally throws his head back against the bed's header where he is tied and erupts all over the place, painting his abdomen with white.

The waves of pleasure makes him writhe and make a song of metal clashing while he shakes more and more. Yet Taeyong keeps bottoming out with every thrust not really letting Ten catch his breath. 

"Taeyong… _ Taeyongie _ .…fuck,fuck- _ aah _ -fuck, Tae" 

He knows. It's a lot to bear for Ten, but he needs this just as much. 

"Shit, wait, I'm about to-"

He picks up the pace and then pushes into his body sharply, exploding inside with the mad lust that he has been holding until he could let go. 

His heart goes hundred in speed, and inside Ten's tight walls he is pulsing and throbbing as he, impossibly faster and sloppy, moves a few cycles more to spend their highs before stopping, out of breath. 

"That was amazing" claims the younger one, absolutely gone, making Taeyong smile and chuckle flattered. "Like for real" 

He pulls out slowly and sits back, letting the fresh air blow against their bodies while they get down from there and Ten’s body spams on the bed trying to assimilate the stealing of the stretch. 

Taeyong brushes all his blonde hair back, trying to put something in order, but it's difficult. 

"You liked it?"

"Head to toe" He laughs again. He doesn't know why, but his heart just feels really light now, and nothing in the world seems important enough to get him in a bad mood. “I really have to admit that you just have something that gets me so bad”

The compliment makes the tailor feel beyond pleased. It makes him feel good and happy, and the tingles that still run across his skin don't help the sensation lifting up.

“Same here, you riddle me up so much… but take care of me so good too, and I love that. Touch me all the damn time”

He crosses his arms, leaning on Ten's chest so he can look close at his face. His pretty and radiant face with flushed cheeks due to the strain he has done. A face that's smiling back at him, looking at him with those fond eyes that makes his heart beat fast. 

"You are so beautiful," says Ten, ahead of Taeyong and his thoughts. 

His stomach makes a flip.

"You don't know what you're saying" he says out loud, like trying to be reasonable. "You are fucked silly right now"

"No, I swear you are, for real"

"Really? Am I not sweaty?"

"Super sweaty, you look a mess" Ten says lightly, as Taeyong makes dumb poses over him, playing with his long hair to conceal the fact that the compliments are taking him high. "But a hot, beautiful mess" 

The way Taeyong's lips curl up makes a difference for Ten, who has been learning that Taeyong has a different way to tilt his lips for everything. 

He is still trying to uncover and remember what they all mean. 

"You look stunning too"

"Yeah? Tied up?" 

"Especially when tied up. It makes me doubt if I should actually free you, if you get my drift" he completes his jokes with an inviting, naughty finger that traces the pink leather hugging Ten's wrists. "I could keep you on my bed forever, for my pleasure" 

"Oh, c'mon"

"Ask nicely"

Ten scoffs under his breath, with the laugh shaking his chest vibrantly and the special high note of his giggles. 

"Lee Taeyong, can you untie me,  _ please _ ?" 

With a fluent, sweet move, Taeyong pulls from the pink stripe to undo the buckle, letting Ten's hand to fall free onto the pillow. And next, it comes the other, that didn't go exactly to the mattress, but instead, it wraps around Taeyong to caress the small of his back. 

"Nice to hear you plead for something" 

He doesn't know how or when, but soon enough, Ten's lips are on his and they are kissing as they roll on the soft bed. The model's arms are bent behind Taeyong’s back to hold him, and the latter's hands gently linger over Ten's shoulders with velvety traces and circles that tickle his skin. 

He lets Ten carefully lay him down on the pillows to get showered with kisses of all types. Slow, short, long...

Out of nowhere, everything is just a blank space on the paper, knowing that they are done with the sex and simply doing this just because.

Because it feels good, it feels right. 

"Mmm…" whispers Ten, unexpectedly, voice vibrating against Taeyong’s jaw where his lips are just softly lingering. "You are so warm" 

Taeyong's laugh is breathy, low, and it gets trapped between their mouths again. His heart shakes to the rhythm of it, following Ten's settled pace perfectly and synchronised to enjoy the lukewarm brush of his tongue on his and the distant taste of coffee on every inch of his mouth. 

"We should stop" Murmurs Taeyong, yet unable to put a pause to the way his body sinks in the pillows and he caresses Ten's skin with that soothing pace while more kisses crush against his lips.

"Why?" 

His waist is being held, his nerve terminations shudder with a gentle kind of bliss as their skins graze over the messy blankets. The heat of the final of spring is not bothering enough to make them part from each other. Everything turns slow and lazy, and only his heart can go faster than the rest as they keep sucking and nibbling on their fleshy lips. 

"I don't know" 

"Then I propose we just don't" 

"That's pure logic, I agree" he says, letting Ten give him another couple of kisses more. 

Each one of them moves the mechanism of his heart a little bit smoother, and his brain tries to explain that to him, but he feels like his ears are blocked to those. 

He just hears a murmur. 

It's a bit strange, but his tongue feels loose, and his hand pushes lightly on his chest to pull him back gently. 

"Do you like when we kiss?" 

That seems to strike a chord in the youngest man, who stares at Taeyong with shock. 

“Well, I mean… it’s enjoyable” 

_ Enjoyable _ . 

It’s a nice word, a word that implies something good, pleasant, and gratifying. And still, Taeyong feels like that’s not what he was expecting to hear if he even had something planned in his mind. 

It doesn’t sit right. 

His nose scrunches and Ten takes notice of it.

"Yongie?" 

Wait a minute. 

He focuses his vision on the thai model that's laying on his bed by his side, now prompted on his elbows to look at him closer. 

Usually he doesn't call him by anything that’s not his full name or a silly pet name to make himself funny, but that's another kind of sound that gives a sharp turn to his train of thoughts. 

"Yeah?"

"Did I do something wrong?" 

"How did you call me just now?"

"Yongie? It bothers you? I can not use that"

"No" he blurts out, seemingly sure of what he is saying even though he is having just a stirring mix of feelings that he can't tell apart from each other. "I like Yongie, it's just that... you never call me that"

"I know, I just… came out with it"

"I like it, you should use it more"

"Sure" Taeyong, this time, wraps his arms around his shoulders and lets his head rest on Ten's chest, catching him with the guards down for a brief moment before he takes him and falls back on the pillows, laughing funny. "By the way, you are pretty fired up when you get on top" 

Taeyong blushes, hiding away from Ten's mischievous eyes on the crook of his neck. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, and before you try to fight me I can swear is true, that I never had sex like that before" 

"It better be true, I’m fucking tired" he says, laughing with his face still against his neck, letting Ten stroke his blonde, long hair. He sighs. "Can we stay here for a bit?"

"It’s your bed, Yongie, we can do whatever you want" 

"Right..." 

Resting on top of Ten and being gently caressed by him feels too nice for his own good. 

The minutes slip away and his breathing timed with the model's own, fanning over his skin like a fresh breeze during an outdoors evening picnic. 

That's not normal. 

Well, it is, but it's not what a person is supposed to enjoy from a fuckbuddy, right? 

Taeyong's heart pounds in his chest like a tambourine when these thoughts sip through the cracks of his brain. 

He is kind of doomed. 

It has been barely two weeks since Ten had explained to him why trying something more personal with him would be a bummer. Starting by the fact that Taeyong is not especially fond of being the target for unrequested opinions, trying to achieve something minimally romantic with the model appeared to him like an extreme sport. He can only imagine how irking it must be to be talked about in Internet forums just because he likes Ten, getting sad about thousands of people calling him nasty things because he grabbed one of the most desired bachelors of the peninsula for himself. 

Taeyong knows how mean someone jealous can turn to be, he has heard plenty of people getting ready for wedding receptions ripping other guests apart with their tongues at their back. 

He gulps. 

Ten was right, someone who decided to date him would have to love him a ton to carry on despite the abundant amount of comments that people would throw at him. 

"What is this from?” asks Ten suddenly, stopping his train of thought. “This one”

Taeyong turns his head to lean on his chest facing the opposite side of the bed, where Ten is pointing at one polaroid out of the dozen of printed pictures that he has around and decorating the wall. 

He stares at the frame for a second, noticing what Ten’s attention picked up. 

In the small photograph there’s Taeyong in front of a mirror, leaning on his palms with a flower pose and his nails painted with different neon colors. 

He chuckles, remembering the moment. “College. Stylism students and fashion design students had a good relationship and we did each other favours. A girl in the class needed someone who let her paint their nails for a project and I helped”

“But you bite your nails” says Ten, unexpectedly taking one of the older’s hands and lifting it up to examine it. Taeyong feels like his cheek starts burning with the mere fact of Ten noticing his small habit. “How did she manage?”

“She gave me acrylics” 

“Don’t shy away” comments Ten, amused, making Taeyong even more embarrassed and flushed. “Men having nice nails is cool, acrylics are cool” 

Men being oblivious dumbasses is cool too, at least for Taeyong in this moment, dodging a bullet with a shy nod. 

“Yeah, I guess. They looked nice on me”

“The model helps too, bet she got an A+”

Taeyong humms, taking the praise and letting it warm him. 

“You know that feeling well, don’t you?”

“By heart” he jokes, and then he tilts his head, still staring at the pictures on the wall absentmindedly. “Jaehyun likes to do these things with me when he finds the occasion. The creative experimentation part, I mean. Have I talked about him before?” he wonders out loud. 

“I don’t know” mumbles Taeyong, perfectly tracking the name back to the phone call he overheard that morning at Ten’s apartment. “I think I have heard something”

“He is my make-up artist most times, the agency trusts him well, so he usually works with me and he wishes, and I quote, that he could go crazier with my looks because he is bored of the average magazine requests. Don’t let him catch you if he finds out you are willing to be his guinea pig”

“For a reasonable price, I’d let him”

The model giggles with the joke. 

“Letting him know you is dangerous by itself, I would rather avoid it” signs Ten, carefree and goofy, but not making Taeyong any less curious about the man in question. The model doesn’t leave him time to obsess over that topic, for his hand has moved over another picture. “Your graduation day?”

Taeyong nods with his head, still laying over his chest and not planning to move, actually.

The picture Ten is pointing at shows a happy frame of him in the graduation gown, all in a navy color. Back then Taeyong had purplish hair too, and he looked extra small in the picture, next to Johnny and also Jungwoo, hugging him all sandwiched between them as he held flowers and Doyoung posed with the graduation cap and a huge smile. “Doyoung and Johnny bought me the bouquet. I love roses”

“I somehow guessed you liked roses. You have one inked right above your ass” mocks Ten, putting a small blush over his cheeks. "Secret garden" 

“I mean that... they got me like… twenty, and they are expensive flowers. It was a very pretty bouquet”

“Is this Doyoung guy also helplessly in love with you?” teases Ten, looking at the man in the picture that resembles a bunny and he guesses it’s Doyoung, then up to Taeyong leaning on his chest. "Or does he keep his cool?"

The older feels the puncture of being reminded about that. He scoffs, nonetheless, planting his entire hand on Ten’s face pretending he is about to brush him away. 

“Let’s not talk about that today” 

“Something wrong?” 

“Several things are wrong with me” sighs the older. “So… next topic?”

“Hey, don’t say that” utters Ten, his voice getting hushed and soft, making Taeyong sink down into a sea of comfort that scares him at the same time. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Did you two fight? Johnny and you?”

“Not exactly” he confesses, dragged by the mood. “But maybe you were right. He likes me more than I thought and I failed to see it, so when Jungwoo asked me what to do about him I told him to go for it thinking it would work out”

“Hmm” Ten humms and nods, listening to the story. “And it didn’t?”

“Nope. They were at Jungwoo’s watching a movie or whatever and they kissed because Jungwoo jumped into it, and Johnny was still… you know? Babbling about me and all of that. We are all friends of each other so know things are kind of awkward… and everything is my fault”

“How can it be your fault that your friends are awkward?” says Ten softly, stroking his hair again. The feel is so soothing that Taeyong can’t help but lean further into the caress.

“I don’t know” he breathes out quietly. “It feels like my fault”

“Did you hold them at gunpoint and tell them to kiss?” continues Ten, tone light as if he is trying to reach Taeyong with empathy. “I mean, okay, you misread that and made a mistake with your advice, but they are old enough to see by themselves and make their own decisions too, you are not his mother. Plus, two don’t kiss if one doesn’t want to”

“You think?”

“You know I am an expert in kissing” replies Ten, smiling as this time Taeyong guffaws for real.

“I mean, you are okay at it, so I guess your opinion can be considered” teases Taeyong back, and continues telling his story before the man can open his mouth to fight him back. “I don’t know, Johnny told me that he liked the kiss, and Jungwoo also said that it was great, so why are they so distant anyways? I don’t understand"

"You seem upset, that’s why you asked me to hang around?" Inquires the younger with wit. Taeyong should have expected that much. "Hey, we could have… we could have talked about it if you wanted instead of… you know?"

"Did I seem unenthusiastic about it?" Scoffs Taeyong, and Ten rolls his eyes.

"Not an inch, but you know what I mean"

"Yeah... Thank you for listening, Ten, I thought…. Yeah, that my advice was good and it would work out better, but it was trash”

"Everyone can make a mistake like that, sugar, don't be so harsh with yourself"

"What if I broke their friendship?"

"You sure, didn't. Look at that" says Ten, gesturing to the pictures on the wall. "You guys are very close, you can get through awkward phases"

"That's what you think?"

“Well, your friends seem to be running in circles, but you know? They say those things usually happen when people like each other. I bet watching it from the outside is frustrating as fuck” comments Ten. At least, and Taeyong is surprised about how easy it has been, the model has alleviated a part of the concerns that were weighing him down today after the conversation with Jungwoo. “But from the inside, it must be more complicated, since you have to say things that are complex, put feelings on the table, forget about pride to admit things… and that’s a whole mess”

Taeyong finally moves, lifting himself up on his elbows to look at the man beneath him. 

"How do you know that? Didn't you say you've never been in love?"

It almost looks like Ten takes a pause, staring at Taeyong while his thoughts are being collected. 

The corners of his lips tug up forming a smile.

"I suppose that's how it works"

Taeyong hums, sitting astray on Ten’s lap. He usually doesn't hold conversations when he is in such a state of nudity but he doesn't care about that right now. 

Curled up in his pillows, the model is tousled. His locks are everywhere but the place they should be in a mass of black and blond strands, the chains of his neck tangled together, and the hidden glee of his eyes riding high.

He tilts his head slightly, and asks softly. 

“Catching feelings… does it always suck?” 

Ten shrugs, also sitting up on the bed. 

"If I could know…" 

His hand mindlessly catches a loose strand of Taeyong’s blonde hair and puts it behind his ear, causing a strange spark to travel Taeyong’s spine and make him want to pray for his heart, not quite sure about what to do about it.

He is doomed for real. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FUCKING LOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS EPISODE GOD DAMMIT AAAAAAAAAAAH  
> *clears throat*  
> So, anyways, I'm dropping by to say that starting next week, this fanfic will be updated twice a week instead of once. This is mostly because I'm currently writting the last episode and I know for sure I'm not going to be stuck with the story (unless my brain very inconveniently decides to break in the 10 last pages lol). So that would be Tuesdays and Fridays!!  
> See you here then, babies~
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	16. Flipping the page is hard

As days go by, Taeyong is more convinced that he has passed the no return point. 

That’s… concerning if he stops to think about it, so he just… he doesn’t. 

His boredom, however, is nowhere to be seen now that he has the chance to call up Ten whenever he feels like he is getting musty. The model also asks him for a private moment from time to time and, in a couple of weeks, they started to see each other with less space in between meetings each time, to the point where they could say they see each other at least once a week, sometimes two if the pile of work is not bothering any of them too much. 

Taeyong is the one boy for sex thrills, something undeniable at this point, so it's kind of fun doing it sneakily, going to each other's houses carefully to not get caught by pesky, over obsessed photographers.

They mainly meet at Taeyong's apartment when his mother is out for work, because they had proven that Ten's house is more likely to be under vigilance in the moment they tried to revisit the lonely apartment and Ten had to slam the older against a wall of the building's hall to protect him from the wanderer pink press journalist at the turn of a corner. 

Even then, Taeyong's only reaction was to gasp a bit too loud with the fiery tud and then laugh together with the model. 

The younger had pressed his index to Taeyong’s lips and shushed him with a quiet chuckle that made Taeyong smile, but who could have judged him? Their chests were glued together and his heartbeat was speeding up with the source of sweltering heat that Ten radiated at that moment. To be more than honest, that was beyond fun and it increased his livido in two hundred percent, but the tailor knew that as thrilling as that was, they had to be careful, so his house became the main field. 

The point is that the intrepid entertainment of hanging out with Ten doesn’t stop when they land their feet out of the bed again, nor the stupid lure his attention feels under when the younger is around. 

Proof of that is the way Taeyong is staring at the model placing a steamy mug of tea in front of him, watching with all detail the subtle drop of his eyelashes and the almost imperceptible mess of his locks over his forehead.

Is not like it’s the first time that Taeyong sees Ten, is not even the first time he has seen him with this look of pleasing dishevelment when, in fact, he has been watching Ten move all over him half an hour prior. 

However, today there’s something that makes it even harder to keep his eyes away from him.

The younger has been participating in a makeup brand promotion campaign and he has a dreamy look upon him. Maybe it’s all fuzzy and blurred after rolling and sweating on Taeyong’s sheets, but there's still a fantasy touch on his features accentuated by the sky blue eyeliner below his lower lash line, imitating some kind of shooting star with a long tail.

Is not only pretty per se, but also a sign of Ten coming to meet him right after his schedule without bothering to wipe the make-up off. 

Taeyong should admit that Ten’s somewhat blatant rush to be with him is a good part of his joy.

"Do I have something on my face?" Jokes Ten, brushing an invisible mark off the corner of his lips and making Taeyong roll his eyes as the model sits on the armchair in front of him.

If someone would have needed to brush something from his lips, that would have been Taeyong, whose mouth had been doing the kind of job that stains you up some moments before. After a week of not seeing each other, getting bored with only work, the annoying complaints of Doyoung’s lonely nights’ texts -due to the rather quiet state of their two other friends- and overthinking; the enthusiasm to take that one in had been enough to make him purr and swallow with his eyes shut, holding on Ten’s hips as the younger tugged his blonde hair. 

"Yes" Taeyong jokes, taking the mug from the cluster on his table and having a good sip of warm tea to appease the muscles that are sore after their fun. Ten has gotten the taste he likes spot on. "It's beauty" 

"Oh my my, Yongie…" shrieks Ten, dragged by the cheesy remark that makes them both cringe slightly, chuckling with short breaths. "What was that now?"

"I like the blue comet under your eyes, you look like a fairytale character" 

Ten giggles. "I told you, my make-up artist likes to do creative stuff. He got this new products to use and he goes wild and uses my face as a canvas when we are free"

"And who wouldn't?" 

"Are you trying to pamper me in excess today? Spoil me? Or maybe… seduce me? We already sleep together, no need to win over me with compliments" he says, lips curling up with a smug smile regardless of Taeyong’s thoughts about another base to step on in the race to win over Ten. "Or let me guess, you want a second round?"

"Here? On the couch? I wouldn't mind a second round" confesses the model, riled up by the playful teasing coming back as hard as the time when he tried to draw Taeyong in at the first month, getting filled up with a punch of adrenaline. "But it wasn't that. I mean it, you look really good today"

"Swear it" says Ten, voice getting milder as he speaks. "Is it that good?" 

"Yeah. Jaehyun?"

"Looks like his personal touch?" He hums, doing a soft, theatrical gesture towards his own face as if he is posing gently for an important photoshoot that Taeyong is happy to witness. "Yes, it’s his doing" 

"I get why he wants to get experimental with you, you look amazing" 

"Stop it" utters Ten, brushing the tailor off gently. "Before I fall for you" 

Taeyong, feels like his heart skips a beat with an abrupt jump. 

It's a joke, he knows it has to be just a funny thing for Ten to say and add spice to their game. He needs to remind himself that despite the luring tone on the man's voice drawing him in and making him feel like his eyes are heavy enough to prevent them from falling back onto Ten’s still swollen lips. 

"If you like his style that much you could volunteer for Jae's projects because with me, most of the time, he has to stick to the fashion magazines' requests. He is dying to try new things and come up with challenging stuff, according to him, so he may pay you that reasonable price you talked about"

"Are you asking me to model?" Scoffs Taeyong, for obvious reasons. Him modeling for Jaehyun when there's Ten available to do the job is absurd. “Me?”

"You find it that crazy? Like, okay, I am a model, but you are furiously handsome. And elegant, chic… I can go on"

"Go on, then" he whispers, mindless with the unusual feeling of being pushed by an invisible string. 

As if he minds being obvious, deep down.

“Really?”

“Yeah”

“Alright then”

Surprising the older one, Ten gets up from the armchair where he has been sitting to move onto the sofa with a tremulous jitter. Their thighs touch when he sinks on the cushion by his side, and the back of the model’s hand lightly strokes Taeyong's cheek, leaning on him. 

He must be really into the idea of having a second round, appealing to Taeyong’s not very discreet love for compliments. He just doesn’t know the danger of the approach at this moment of their day. 

"You have that radiant, lovely face. So smooth and innocent even though you have the nerve" he croons with his thumb descending to Taeyong’s mouth and pressing on his bottom lip. He is already blushing like a shy teenager. "Your lips are so full, and pink" 

"T-Ten..." 

"Your eyes are big and shiny, could hold the entire universe in them, and your lashes are long, which makes it even worse… to stare at you and not lose it… and your voice is so fruity"

"Voice doesn’t show on pictures" points out Taeyong with a funny pout, holding the argument up to find himself a shield. 

"It doesn’t" the model nods. He is leaning on, about to press his lips gently to Taeyong's shaking ones. "But it's true"

To say Taeyong is getting butterflies in his stomach is not enough of an understanding, he is getting firecrackers. 

“Stop it” His eyes flutter, dropping down from Ten's own once more. His forehead leans on the model's, and just with a shaky breath, their lips brush just as lightly as the caress of Ten’s palms sliding down his arms feel. Then, he barely mutters “Before I fall for you”

Ten starry eyes stand his gaze as he says this, charged with something that makes Taeyong shiver and crave for more of it regardless of the unfamiliarity. That must be how taking drugs must feel, caught in a touch that’s barely a kiss and could be better explained saying it’s mingling breaths and shimmering endearment in their eyes. Now his heart is truly drumming, and it keeps doing so when Ten leans away and his soft black eyes stare at him, lips sealed. 

For a moment he hates the question on Ten’s eyes, as if he is not the one who started all of this, getting so clearly out of hand, at least from Taeyong’s side despite his efforts to hold the leash of all his whipping feelings.

Taeyong is plentifully grateful for the sudden sound of the keypad of the frondoor emitting the faint sound of someone opening it, followed by the clear greeting of his mother arriving from work. After all, this is what they take as a clue to get back to play a bit dumb and oblivious, moving further from each other on the sofa as if they burned each other and grabbing their cups to get themselves busy with something believable when the poor, oblivious woman enters the room. 

"Hi, mom. You are early"

"Hi, sweetie… oh, hello Mister Lee" she says, beaming as she comes to the living room and sees the young man sharing an afternoon snack with his son. "I didn’t know we had a visit. Did something happen Mister Lee? Is your agency needing help or something?" 

"Mrs. Lee, you can just call me Ten, this is not business" 

"I see… If not business, then what were you guys doing?" 

"We were... having some coffee" explains Taeyong, as Ten quietly leans on his palm and nonchalantly sips his dark concoction of a drink that he calls coffee. "And just chatting for a while, nothing more" 

"I was telling Taeyong that I have a makeup artist friend that has many flashy ideas to execute, but he needs a model to work with so maybe he wanted to try that out" butts in the younger, almost provoking Taeyong to gawk at his easygoing mood even with his mother. "We have to give each other exposure in this world, don't we?" 

"That’s a good saying," agrees the woman, probably not very convinced that that is not in the business category. "You can say that a person walks higher with the right contacts, right?"

"Well, that's a fact" adds Taeyong. "You helped me with the Fashion Week attendance, and look at the commission queue. It's longer than I ever expected"

"Oh ba- Taeyong. I didn't do much, I just invited you to go, but Harin’s dress was your thing, you know? Your portfolio and orders too. You do you, I only played along" 

He is feeling the subtle tingling under the skin of his cheeks, threatening to go pink as Ten talks like that to him and in front of his mother, nothing less. He has not even missed the way he almost slips and calls him 'baby' right away.

His lips are being bitten down, still tasting the lasting bits of un-sugared coffee flavour on them. 

"Taeyong" Suddenly calls his mother enthusiastically, breaking his train of thoughts. "Now that you are talking about this, have you shown Ten the piece you designed for him?" 

He feels like spewing his tea out of his mouth when his mother shamelessly mentions this fact like it’s nothing.

Designs for Ten? He has a few. 

Ever since he started seeing him on the pages of magazines, Taeyong felt inspired with every image of Ten that came to his eyes, but there’s one particular drawing that Taeyong has in his personal folder and that puts the others to shame. 

He knows his mother, out of innocence -or so he hopes- is bringing up that one. 

She must have seen it lay around lately. 

Taeyong remembers the exact shot that triggered this artwork. It was a full page picture of Ten in a magazine where he had a red shirt on and lips parted, so glossy they looked sticky and glittery next to the flower he was holding against them. It was a glamour, eye level portrait of him laying facedown on the floor, prompted on his arms; and a semi-transparent red veil covered him, surrounded by fairy lights. 

A couple weeks ago, after Ten departed from his house and left Taeyong with the bitter feeling of being doomed, accidentally pushing the designer to smell his sticky scent on his sheets for a week more; the tailor took the cutting and the design out of his folder to stare at it. 

In his outlines, there was the touch of the same Ten he knows now. The uniqueness of his colors, the vagueness of his personality and the sheer desire he makes Taeyong feel. However, as soon as he took it out, Taeyong felt like the design needed some adjustments to make it more… balmy.

His Ten is not so hard edged in person. 

Blood runs hot through Taeyong's body, taking him high with the memory and then, down deep into the ground where he wants to dig a hole and hide for the embarrassment of being exposed like that by his own mother. 

Ten is looking at him with those feline eyes of his, lashes winged by the act of the infamous Jaehyun with an ominous, sharp look, and no trace of being blank in him. 

It makes Taeyong want to run for cover. 

"Did you design something for me?" He asks. There's a drop of something in the model’s voice that elicits a cold chill to go down his spine. 

Curiosity, maybe conceit. 

Perhaps even esteem, but Taeyong tells himself not to fall on the mistake of thinking that's the case, despite what the mellow shine of his eyes tell him. It would be harder to fantasize with the chance of building something serious with Ten than cutting it from the root like a tare. 

"Well, yes. It needs some touches, though" he sputters, trying to make his voice firm. It looks like Ten buys it just fine. "Since you told me it would be cool, I got some ideas down. Is that alright with you?" 

"Of course it is. I'd love to see it if you want to show me" 

“Show him, Taeyong” cheers his mother, his innocent mother with good intentions yeeting him off the window. 

"Yeah, sure" says Taeyong, getting up from the sofa as he fidgets with his hands. He practically forgets that his mom is there. "Follow me to my studio"

"You've got a studio at home?" 

"Where do you think I work when I'm here?" Jokes Taeyong as they leave the living room and travel the corridor. "Don’t make those funny eyes at me, babe" he warns, luring. "We are not going to do it here"

"What? I didn’t say a word!" Complains Ten, entering the studio behind his host. 

The room is simple. There's a big window, a big work table with papers and other sewing tools, fabric samples, a bunch of fashion books and magazines, and endless prints, pictures and other references pinned on the walls. 

"I can read your mind" 

The bubbling of Ten’s laugh is fresh when it coils behind Taeyong's ear and his limbs wrap around his hips, chin leaning on his shoulder. 

"You have several talents" 

The tailor holds his breath instinctively for a second, feeling the soft press of Ten's lips under his jaw. 

He pushes him aside gently with his hand, laughing and disguising the gesture as a playful game more than the need of a legit mental break for concentration. 

Taeyong takes out a folder, flipping through pages of design under the attentive gaze of the model sitting on the chair next to him. There are many drawings inside, some unfinished. His best college projects are saved there, as well, from the first ideas of his now famous daisy shirt; to the contemporary style hanbok he had to design at one of his final assignments. Additionally, his personal ideas for fancy streetwear and outfits, with some glamorous pieces that challenge the functionality of shapes to suggest innovations. The colorful, opaque strokes of what look like paint markers on paper seem to captivate Ten enough to make him keep silent while Taeyong continues to flip the pages. 

The designer, sensing this, can’t help but to start moving the papes with slower motions just to test if Ten lifts his eyes from them and asks him something. Yet, the model pays attention to every bit of outfit that shows up. 

Taeyong’s eyes examine his soft countenance in the couple of seconds he is leaving available for him. 

He is staring at the toned paper that the older is holding on his hand now and that shows a fresh doodle of an asymmetrical short jacket with a type of pattern to decorate each side. 

Everytime Taeyong looks at him, he finds something new to gape about, he doesn’t even know what it is this time, he just starts smiling for himself, noticing that Ten has, indeed, a tiny freckle under his eye that once Taeyong found cute enough to name his twitter ID after it. 

The brief moment of silence seems to wake Ten up and look at Taeyong with a faint smile.

“I like how you draw”

“I draw decently,” replays Taeyong, humble. “It’s not so important, the point is that the idea shows up well”

“It’s very expressive and charming”

“Let’s see where I put my design for you” says Taeyong, shifting the topic as if he didn’t know exactly where it is because he has been working over it for the past few days. “Here”

The sheet of paper slides through the other ones when he gently pulls it out, sounding slightly as it cuts through the air with the tremble of his hands shaking it all.

He is stupidly nervous to present that piece of his mind to Ten, it kinda feels like he is getting more naked now than when he did that sinful, private show in Ten’s bed, stretching and curving like a cat in heat for him to see. 

There’s no built-up desire anymore to blind his mind. 

After kicking the sexual tension out of their scheme, all that’s left is uncertainty, the question of what happens next and the fear of not being able to sustain a relationship that’s only based on how horny they make each other any longer. 

He doesn’t want to let go of Ten yet, of course he is uneasy. 

Nonetheless, Ten has already taken the paper between his finger and it’s checking the look with his entire focus. 

Taeyong nips at his cuticles, knowing perfectly what he is seeing in the design. 

It’s a simple two piece set of white, stretchy material like lycra, light and flimsy to fit Ten’s lean complexion cleanly. One is a turtleneck shirt and the other is a couple of pants, but those are not the main points of the composition, just a base to fit the adornations on top, which consist on a piece that imitates a transparent vinyl suspender belt and a decorative set of straps to the chest in the same material, all decorated with a few silver buckles and, the highlight of the entire concept, countless white pearls. 

He did not forget Ten’s evident love for accessories and added a couple of white mesh gloves with smaller pearls on the front and a silver chain necklace with an austere tassel pendant to not divert the attention to the item instead of the main star of the composition. 

“I have to explain that it’s meant to be a fantasy design” enunciates Taeyong, trying to fill the thick silence that is getting him with more anxiety. “So I could understand if you think it’s too much, I-”

“This is so…” breaths out Ten, soft enough to make Taeyong shut up immediately and get another chill. “Beautiful in a different way” 

Taeyong turns on his heels to stare at the other man, still looking at the paper as if he is thinking deeply about some unknown sign for the tailor. 

“Different way? It’s like the 'funny' friend?” he tries to joke. "Should I be offended?"

Ten shakes his head no slowly, and the older is starting to think that there’s no possible way Ten is not hearing his heart speed-racing like a devil, because his resistance in front of him is breaking way too much at this point. 

“Offended? This is probably the best that someone has taken out of me yet”

“We already sleep together, Ten” he comments, mimicking the funny puncture Ten had used with him some moments before. “You don’t need to butter me up”

“I am serious, we should try this when you have some time to spare to this design”

“Yeah? You want that?”

“I’m paid for being pretty and wearing nice clothes” says Ten, finally discharging the paper on top of Taeyong’s work table and leaning his butt against it to cross his arms over his chest and offer one of his compelling sneers. “I am challenging myself to make it even more enjoyable taking my pretty fling over”

Taeyong chuckles, admitting to himself that the praises work way too good with him. 

“Sex and paycheck, you are a good catch too”

“Weren’t we supposed to  _ not  _ act like I’m the sugar daddy?”

“Did I say that? What a fool, I may have to take it back” jokes Taeyong, taking the page and waving it in the air. “But now that idea… I love this design, it's meant for you. If you really like it I could try to submit it to your agency as a proposition”

“Yeah… yeah, they could use some fresh air, and I would love to try this on, it really looks different, I wonder if I can make it look like you want”

“Probably yes”

“Then yes, submit it”

“Well, then meeting Jaehyun is not so bad. I don’t think I can be his guinea pig, but I am going to need a bold person to make the matching makeup for this because the whole concept is heavily ornate, you think he would be interested?”

“You can’t win Jaehyun at the bold game”

“I am sure you can”

“Agree. But after me, he is a good competitor”

Taeyong nods, cheekily.

If he has to be frank, he has played that card with a little bit of malice because yes, he needs a make-up artist to do a good job to fit his design if he wants it to catch the attention of the public and agencies, but the fact of hiring Jaehyun doesn’t fit that chance only. 

Taeyong also may have the opportunity to put his nose into Ten’s perspective about him and, right now, he is starting to feel like he deeply needs that. 

He needs to get the bucket of cold water thrown over him before he dreams too much. 

“Give me his number then”

*******

At Wednesday's midday, Jungwoo is bored to the top of his mind. 

He has tried to evade himself from the real world, where he is stuck into his lab finishing the prototype of a motherboard for an automatic driving drone they are trying to develop in that wretched company that doesn’t even pay him his work hours yet, but Doyoung is working his ass off in the bakery again with some huge rainbow cake no one even requested, and Taeyong is nowhere to be seen; probably having way more fun that Jungwoo has information of. 

Lately, he always has that ‘I got laid’ shine in his eyes and a dumb as smile whenever his phone sounded with a text from Ten. Jungwoo doesn’t really know if they are horny enough to be sexting all the time, or if they just message each other with every little excuse, as for example their little ‘look how good this salad looks’ and all those reveries. 

At this point, with no one to text, Jungwoo is only trying to hold in the huge yawn that is fighting to go out of him. 

The only person in his workplace that makes the ambience tolerable is Sungchan, and he has a day off because he is still a full time college student, so he is doomed to utter boredom and basic straight energies from his colleagues. 

He is even starting to play with the idea of this being one of his worst days in weeks when someone knocks the door and opens it verging in an attractive, shameless mannerism.

Jungwoo looks up from the piece of metal he has been welding to see the unpredictable image of Johnny standing right under the threshold. The judging, curious stares of his classmates are nowhere near noticeable for him in front of this new presence sweeping his expectations of the day. 

Trying to look more decent by pure instinct, he lifts the protective glasses with a swift move, but their hold acts like a funny hair band that pushes his hair up in a rather comic way. 

God is playful with Jungwoo’s fate today, apparently. He tosses the stupid glasses on the table. 

"Oh. Hey" he says, sounding awkward but, mostly, being surprised. The concoction of feelings that jabs through his heart is hard to decipher to say what it is. He feels like his lips tremble in order to try and say something that he hasn't decided yet. "I wasn't expecting you" 

"I wasn't expecting myself either" answers Johnny, slightly shrinking. 

Jungwoo purses his lips, moving on his chair as everyone looks at him and the beefy man that is looking at him with a cryptic glance respectively, trying to end this awkward situation as soon as he possibly can without fainting or slapping Johnny on his dumb, stupid, kind, marvelously pretty face. 

"So… is there something wrong or…?"

"No. Or yes, I don't know" stammers Johnny, just as lost as Jungwoo seems to be as he stares at him losing his cool. The tallest lifts up a plastic bag with a knot on the top and a red printed logo of some restaurant. "I bought too much food to eat it by myself, I thought that maybe you wanted to share" 

Jungwoo does his best not to beam right away, just because he can’t allow himself to be so easy if he wants to go somewhere with any of this, whatever it is. 

He stands up, staring at his phone's clock to make himself look interesting, since he already knew the approximate hour for looking at the empty screen one hundred times trying to see if there was something new in any app to distract himself.

"I am hungry. I was about to take a break for lunch, actually, so… I don't know, what do you have in there?" 

Johnny seems to doubt, humming as he scratches the back of his head, maybe not knowing how to manage the hesitation coming from his friend. For years, the engagement from Jungwoo has been something that he has taken for granted without noticing. His cheerful agreement was always there, and never questioned plans together too much, so losing it is a big distance to go down suddenly.

It hurts for Jungwoo to not be able to give him the kindness he wants to shower Johnny with at the drop of a hat, but he knows that he needs his friend to understand how things are supposed to be like. 

"A couple of spring rolls, stir fried noodles, bean sprouts salad, kimchi radish and banana tteok" 

"Cool" murmurs the younger, trying to keep it lowkey even though that just sounded delicious and mindful. "Do you want to go to the cafeteria and search for a table"

Johnny smiles gently, as Jungwoo finally accepts. "That would be nice" 

The younger one walks to him, finally leaving the lab where everyone is looking at him with those nasty eyes of suspicion and morbidity. 

They go down to the first floor, walking across the halls with a quiet stroll that's finally broken by Jungwoo again. 

He takes air in his lungs, exhales, and lastly, opens his mouth. 

"This place is a bit far from the gym" he comments, trying to be airly. "The tailoring store is closer" 

"Yeah, it is closer" 

"Is Taeyong working from home today as well?" 

He knows he is pushing the knife quite far into the older and maybe even twisting it in the wound, but he needs to know. Maybe it's selfish, but he can’t afford the selflessness right now and let his heart crumble more. 

"I don't know" replies Johnny, making his heart jolt a bit. "I came here first. We had been a little bit distant, so I just thought about spending some time together with you" 

"I'm-" this time, Jungwoo stumbles with his words more noticeably. They are moving into the cafeteria and giving a look to the tables, which he grabs as an excuse to postpone his response a little and think better. He points to one of the free tables that's pushed to a side and almost hiding behind a pillar. "What do you think about this one?"

"Will do" he answers, simply, sitting and placing the bag on top to start taking out the lunchboxes. 

"So… just… hanging out with me" he says, voice faint as he serves himself some noodles, avoiding the direct gaze into Johnny's eyes. “Just like that?”

"Yeah… yeah" the second one is barely a silent muter on his lips. "Like… we haven't been talking a lot recently and I don't like that" 

"Me neither" confesses Jungwoo. Then he chuckles, amused with the occurrences of his own brain telling him that was obviousness as it best. "It doesn't feel right" 

"No, it doesn't"

Jungwoo looks at his fried noodles again, not wanting to freak out with all of the stuff going on in his mind and outside of it with Johnny's sudden visit. 

He hears him chew his own food for some minutes. He does it with a bit of haste, hungry enough from the extra long walk to Jungwoo’s lab. 

"You know what, Jungwoo?" He says finally, making the boy anticipate way too much to say something and sound like he doesn't care about what his next sentence is going to be. He decides to be quiet pretending he has food in his mouth, and gives him a gesture with his head to speak. "I have been thinking about how things went… last time" 

"Last time?"

"When we… you know?" 

"Kissed?" Chokes out Jungwoo. 

"Yeah. That" 

They both are not really even having lunch so much, but they keep scooping food and eating, using it as an excuse to have this talk over something easier than a plain, awkward 'let's talk' day. 

The moment had to arrive at some point but Jungwoo didn't expect it to be like this.

"And what have you… thought?" 

"That I had to talk to you and apologize" he says, making Jungwoo definitely abandon his chopsticks to pay plain attention to his friend. "I clearly made you upset and I hate that. Honestly… yeah, when we went to the party at your colleague's house, it's true that I was feeling spite"

"That’s not how you apologize" highlights Jungwoo, but Johnny lifts up a hand to make him stop.

"I'm not done talking. I was bitter that day, I’m not going to deny that Taeyong shot me right through the chest, but whatever… that was between us, it happened because we were dancing and I feel comfortable with you and... the situation went down that way. Because I felt like it and… you too?"

Jungwoo nods, slowly, trying to let the information sink in. He shoves more food in his mouth and chews to hide he is going speechless. 

"Getting you into this mess saying it was a selfish move was very shitty of me. Taeyong and I have beef, that’s true, but it doesn't have to do with you, and I don't wanna drag you into a puddle of mudd" 

"Ah, shit…" chuckles Jungwoo, hiding his face on his palm. "You make things so hard every time..."

"I do?" Insinuates the older with a stark smirk, returning to his food.

"I was about to go down the path where I hold a grudge against you, but what now? I can’t hate you now that you apologized, it would be so vile" 

He has said this in a playful and comedic manner, laughing with his friend as they used to do before this whole bump, but there’s not really a single lie in there. 

Somehow, he had no hope for such a confession in the form of an apology. He wants to jump full of joy, to replay the moment of the party again, and maybe even jump all over him once more. 

At the same time, his butt is glued to the seat and his mind settled in not acting all deluded and thinking everything will go well from now on just because Johnny is acting like a friend with emotional responsibility. 

"I like it much better when we are on the good side" says Johnny, not helping with Jungwoo’s lucubrations.

"So… what’s up with Doyoung?" He asks in order to move the conversation forwards to another spot, drinking some water to swallow the knot in his throat and the ball of food. “Give me a roommate insight, he has been acting specially melancholic”

“I don’t know. Maybe he is feeling under the weather and overthinking. You know how he gets clingy when he is tired” 

“Give him a hug, for god’s sake” jokes the younger, but deep down he blames Johnny’s unyielding demonstrations of support when any of them are sad for his very own struggle with feelings. 

“I tried” he scoffs, confirming the theory. “I said I would cook him dinner and watch one of those dramas he likes with him, but you know he acts all impassive and likes to pretend he is self-reliant. I had been feeling a bit odd too, though, so we ended up under a blanket and slept on the sofa”

“Really”

“Yeah, it was awful” laughs the older. “My back felt terrible after that and as soon as he recovered sleep hours he almost murders me for tricking him into that” 

Jungwoo laughs inevitably, knowing well that the scene is very likely to happen in that shared flat if the roommates are no other than his friends. Then he nods and smiles to Johnny, with his eyes softening a little bit more, slowly getting closer and closer to surrender.

“And how are you feeling then? How are… things with Taeyong?”

"I am not sure” he says, and then he sighs, composing himself with a resilient smile. “By inertia… I have been always searching for him, you know? We have been friends since high school, I am used to him being around, but maybe I am mixing things up" 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that… well, he is my best friend, and he will always be. But maybe… maybe he is just meant to be that, right?"

"Are you asking me?"

"Kinda" he says, shrugging, and then he giggles. "I know Taeyong can't be so quiet about Ten now that he landed the hit, for sure that he told you about him" 

"Are you gossiping, Johnny?" Teases the younger in a good mood, nonetheless. “Are you asking me to gossip about Taeyong and his dumb hot fuckbuddy?”

"Yeah, give me the tea, baby" 

Jungwoo chuckles, pleased with the casual nickname that Johnny has used.

"Well, Taeyong is scared. Top to the bottom" 

"Really? He has Ten wrapped around his finger, doesn't he now? It looks like that to me"

"In a sense, yes" explains Jungwoo, way more easy going now, with his shoulders higher and his roaming through the plate of food more gustously. "They got all the way to the bed already but Taeyong is brooding over feelings now that they pinned the initial tension down" 

"He doesn’t have enough, uh?"

"Yeah, it seems like he is running out of sugar love" 

"Well, Taeyong has a sweet-tooth. He always needs to find the sweetness on his treats, even if it’s just in the core"

"I would say that’s what makes him so dizzy about Ten Lee" avows Jungwoo. "I mean, basing on what he said the last time we talked about him, Ten must treat him like the spoiled prince he is"

"Sweet with an irreverent edge" argues Johnny, surprising Jungwoo a bit. The younger lifts his eyebrows questioning the statement. "When I met them both together I felt like… they are quite the match, you know?"

"Seriously? Ah, c'mon, I want to know how they are together too!" 

"They look good. You know how Taeyong is, he might act shy sometimes but he has all those feisty moments in his bag. That’s hard to match but I guess a sassy model makes the pair" 

"Ugh, how unfair" whines Jungwoo. "I should pretend I don't know they are spending time together and bump into them too"

"You wanna be beheaded by Yong?" Scofs Johnny. “I’m alive but that was a miracle”

"He is a deadly kitten when you touch his food uh?" Jokes Jungwoo, as his friends nods "But now tell the truth, is Ten cute?" 

Johnny chuckles, his eyes being diverted from Jungwoo and exploring the dull tiles that covered the cafeteria of the installations. 

"You gotta keep me the secret if I say it"

"Sure thing" says Jungwoo smiling, maybe a little bit flirty as he leans his chin on his palm. "I'm a vault" 

" _ So _ pretty. Even I would eat his ass if he rubbed me the right way" 

The youngest's guffaw is loud enough to make a few professors turn to their table with a self-righteous glance. 

"That makes two of us" 

"For real?" Jokes Johnny. "Should I be jealous?"

Jungwoo bites his cushion lip at the playful question. Are they flirting for real? Is it going both ways for  _ once _ ?

"Should  _ I _ ?" 

Johnny doesn't answer, he just giggles as he keeps eating the radish side dish. 

"No, I wouldn't do that to Taeyong. I know he wouldn't stand a chance with Ten if I stepped in" 

Jungwoo is genuinely laughing hard and high. 

"If you say so, player" 

"Player? Bullshit, I'm none of that" 

"Ha!" Exclaims the engineer. "You wished that was true"

"It is"

"Prove it, then?"

"How can I prove to you that I am not a player?" Croons Johnny funny. Jungwoo giggles with him, but he knows he is about to betray himself. 

Just a little. 

"Take me out. Properly"

"Like on a… date?"

Jungwoo shrugs, because nodding and saying he means like on a date indeed is stepping way too much off his settled limits. 

"I'll leave that to you" 

"Saturday?" says Johnny, simply, taking Jungwoo with the guards down.

"Uh?"

"Let's go to the movies. On Saturday"

Jungwoo takes a breath in, deep, heavy and slow. 

"Okay. Movies on Saturday will do"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am with the new posting schedule!! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that this new updates method makes you happy!  
> See you in a few days :)
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	17. Icing for this cake

“I have been thinking” announces Taeyong. 

“A change is always good” answers Doyoung without missing a beat. 

“No, you moron, I have been thinking about what you said. I have been thinking about it a lot, indeed” 

It’s Saturday in the evening, the scorching sun of the summer is yet to come, but the weather is definitely getting hotter as the couple of friends pace through the park, so Taeyong is glad that he has chosen a mustard, sleeveless top tucked in his gray jeans for the sake of his commodity. 

Doyoung is also looking freshly comfortable in his white t-shirt matching a bucket hat and loose fitting black pants, but he looks better in anything that’s not his stupid work apron with the name plaque, at this point. 

The older one had to almost literally drag him out for the day, alleging that he hadn’t taken a free Saturday in ages, which is true, by the way. 

It almost cost Taeyong all his stamina and an arm. 

First, Doyoung complained endlessly about him entering the house without permission and asked how in hell did he do that, to which Taeyong had to explain that Johnny had given him a key for emergencies a long time ago. Consequently, there was a fight between them because Doyoung suggested Taeyong to go out with Johnny instead if that was the case, so the older also had to take his time explaining to Doyoung that Johnny wasn’t at home or anywhere available since he had gone out with Jungwoo and the thing didn’t look like something to step a foot on. 

The fact that Doyoung didn’t even know about the impromptu date between his friends was enough proof of his alarming need of going out in the sun for something else than work. He needed to touch the fucking grass, breath some air, probably also meet new people, but Taeyong does what he can with him. 

Thankfully, the reason worked well with Doyoung in this case, so he finally agreed to hang out with Taeyong outdoors and they both ended up buying smoothies and strolling across the park because with the growing temperature, the shadow of trees was welcome. 

Maybe this way Taeyong would go back to their place later on and catch Johnny arriving so they could make him go through the thorough questioning. 

“What did I say?” asks Doyoung, legitly not knowing what his friend is talking about at the moment.

“Me getting hurt because of Ten”

“Oh…” Taeyong can tell by the reaction that Doyoung hasn’t been expecting the outcome of his words. The sigh of the younger one is careful, as if he is scared of hurting Taeyong’s sensitive skin with his answer. And that’s almost worse. “How come?”

“I have been spending more time with him lately” he answers, tone going under. 

It’s not like he is broken, nor completely devastated by the truth of the events, but Taeyong doesn’t feel happy either. He knows he can be happier, and he even suspects how to get there, but the level of unlikelihood shading it all is what disturbs him the most. 

“And?”

“Well, you know? We have been…”

“Fucking?” completes Doyoung. “We all know that, you can say it”

“Yeah, fucking is a recap of the main activity” he confers, a tiny chuckle leaving his lips. “But all the things we do in between…” 

“Oh, the damned things in between. That’s how you get tangled”

“I guess so. He is the loveliest person I know”

“Off he goes. The train left the station, is the Catching Feelings Express, get a free wedding dream with your ticket”

“For real, take me seriously. I don’t know what to do” laments Taeyong, sounding genuinely lost even for himself. It’s edging the pathetic that it has to go this way, but he can’t think of another way to go around it. “You ruined this for me, Dons, I swear to God. Ever since you told me that shit about me having predisposition to feel something for him I can’t stop thinking about that, and then I noticed the things I pay attention to like, ‘oh, Ten’s smell is so strong’ and ‘I could do this all day’”

“Very graphic, thanks”

“No, but then... then it got worse and I found myself thinking that I like what I do with Ten more than I should. Is it for the sex? Is it for the company? When I look at him he looks more and more gorgeous each day that passes and I spend a lot of my mind’s space texting him or wondering when I should call him up to see him again and bake him cookies”

“Sounds like you have motives to be worried. Don’t get me wrong, but it sounds like you are giving it the attention of a crush. Maybe even-”

“No, don’t say it”

“Why not?”

“Shit, I can’t stop it. Like I would really like to stop myself, but he is just the right amount of warm, the right amount of playful and the right amount of laidback. How can I fight against that? His smile is beautiful, he makes me feel comfortable and listened and... come on, Doyoung, this is not okay”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be wrong” offers the younger, sipping on his banana smoothie. 

“We have terms” he says, kind of lying since they never got to establish rules per se, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a half silent accord of being casual and open. 

Jeez, maybe Ten has another one to call babe, sugar and all of those things he calls Taeyong, he could have anybody, or that’s why the designer thinks. 

The mere idea of Ten playing with someone that’s not him itches, and that makes Taeyong even more anxious with the whole thing because obviously is not enough to describe the pit in which he is falling. 

He has to admit he is feeling a bit of vertigo now that he is voicing this. 

What if that someone is better than him? 

It seemed dangerous when he got his heart to rush with one look at the model at him over the coffee table, but it’s even more menacing when you turn a feeling into words with your friend and, for more injury, he nods and agrees with you. 

“And? Sometimes circumstances change and terms have to change with them. Look at those two idiots of Jungwoo and Johnny. A week ago I would have said they were having an ice treatment for each other and now, I bet, they are doing some french practice” 

Taeyong giggles and nods, admitting that Doyoung has chances of being right about their friends and the evolution of their day together. They had been quiet like a sealed coffin for hours now, there wasn’t even an Instagram story to use as a clue, so they must be doing at least something entertaining to be completely off the phone. 

“You think so?”

“That they are making out? Well, Jungwoo never acts like I expect him to, but I’ve got a gut feeling”

“I hope, tho. They make a good couple”

“So you agree? You think relationship can change”

Taeyong shrugs. But still, his gloom doesn't lift.

"It’s not the same with me and Ten"

"Why can't it be?"

"Because there is extra stuff to look after. He is a celebrity and maybe he is not in the spotlight all the time but it's enough for one of those news outlets to find out and drag something cute to the mud. And with something cute I mean… us. We could be cute. But...yeah, there are some things I can’t control there”

“Jungwoo and Johnny are going through the emotional rollercoaster of going past the friendship state, do you think they want those factors there? What I’m tryna say it’s that… everyone comes with their baggage, Yong, the difference happens when you decide the good sides weigh more than the bad ones”

“Uh?”

“Well, think about it. If you really like him there would come a moment where you don’t even care about what they say because you like what he has more than you hate the comments under your page” 

“It’s not only about me. The shit they can give me scares me, it’s not a lie, but have you thought about how Ten and I would look on the headlines? He’d be outed to the whole country, against his will, and as sad as it is it may fucking ruin his carreer” 

Doyoung sighs, stopping by a bench of the park and seating there without even bothering to ask Taeyong for a break. 

The older, however, follows him and sits besides him, slurping the last drops of his strawberry shake with a sonorous noise from the straw.

“The fact you are worrying about him instead of focusing on yourself only doesn’t tell you anything?”

“Decency? Sympathy?”

“Feelings? Of love?”

“Okay, yeah, say what you will” says Taeyong, pouting like an annoyed child more than anything and throwing the empty cup to the bin where it surprisingly enters without toppling over the rim “That I am screwed, I know it. It doesn’t mean it’s going to move anywhere if he doesn’t agree, obviously”

“So what? Are you so adamant that he doesn’t have the same struggle?”

For a second after that sentence, Taeyong brain shuts down from any thought and the only thing he attains to do is to let his mouth half open like a visible, failed attempt to offer an answer to his friend. 

To mutter a “what?” was all that he can say. 

Doyoung snorts, growing amused. “He is not a corpse, his feelings might be moving somewhere too”

“That’s…. No, that’s not happening”

“Why?”

“Because it’s me, and he is… him”

“You gotta stop thinking about him like that. No, actually, you have to stop thinking about yourself so bad. You are just as good, dude”

“But…”

“You’ll never know if you never try”

“Stop quoting High School Musical songs”

“Taeyong, for real!” he exclaims, beginning to be fed up with the stubbornness of his friend not listening to him with an unbiased mind. “Ask him, that’s how it goes”

“Are you suggesting that I just go and tell him that I want more?”

“Yes? That’s what people normally do, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“Him rejecting me and losing the whole thing which I, and listen to this, enjoy  _ a lot _ ?”

“It’s a risk you’ll have to take” spits Doyoung vehemently. “But honestly, stop to think about him too, it’s not like he gives out different vibes”

“What? You don’t even know him yet”

“I love the ‘yet’ in that phrase, but anyways” laughs Doyoung, getting way too much joy out of the shaken up state of the older blushing pink like cotton candy. “You are too close to see what it really looks like from the outside. He washes the shirt you left at his house, texts you non-stop, tells you about his day, asks about yours, takes cute picture sof his cats for you, listens when you talk, cares about you when you are a clumsy stupid, takes you out for dinner, invites you to the fancy stuff… like, man, who makes all that effort for just sex? Having a wank would be less troublesome”

Taeyong snickers this time, perhaps with half of himself believing what Doyoung tells him. At least he wants to believe it, have some hope of reciprocity with that one. 

He wonders why it is so hard for him to accept that Ten doesn’t feel indifference for him, and wants to take the old idea of virtual Ten away and replace it with his very human, warm and joyful Ten that always paints a smile on his face. 

Corny thoughts, maybe, but real for the good or the bad. 

“You think so?”

“Yeah. And actually? You should ask him to go on a date or something. Try things out outside, somewhere you can’t find a bed in sight”

“I don’t need a bed to-”

“Yah, yah, I get it, you two are terrible and horny and stupid, but I’m serious. Get some coffee or something, take a walk, look at the clouds together, jesus christ”

“I mean it for real, Doie. Do you think it can go both ways?”

“And why not? Your eyes give it away, and if he hasn’t run away from that yet, he’s either an idiot, blind, or just as whipped as you” 

“Maybe I’ll ask him, I don’t know. I have to think about it”

“Yeah, show him a little bit of your inner, awkward dumbass. If he doesn’t run, he is yours”

“I can’t say I’m not all clumsy when he gets me nervous. I am starting to think that even my mother has noticed” 

“Your mom is not stupid” nods Doyound as the only answer needed. “But at some point, you’ll have to tell her”

“I know, I’m just… not ready yet, not if it doesn’t work. If it doesn’t I can pretend to be the perfect son for a little longer”

Taeyong smiles, head angling back so his blonde, long hair brushes back and the sun catches on his face and he can enjoy the subtle kiss of light. 

Maybe a wedding in summer would be the best of choices for fianceés if they want to enjoy a sweet, tranquil day under the lovely feeling of a clear sky. 

“She came home early the other day”

“I don’t like where the conversation is heading to”

“Don’t be gross” says Taeyong, twisting his nose without yet leaving his comfortable position on the bench. His eyes are closed to get covered from the sun, and his breath steady. “I was having a talk with Ten over coffee”

“You made coffee for him?”

Taeyong blushes, chewing on his cheek. “He made coffee for himself and milk tea for me. With a whipped cream drizzle like I like”

“Oh, yeah, the classic show of pure detachment among buddies”

“Shut up”

“Fine, fine... you were talking over coffee. And what?”

“My mom came in and sat with use for a little, and then she must decide it would be cool to expose me and tell Ten I had designs for him”

He waits for Doyoung to mock him, but instead he is greeted with the understanding silence of the younger. He might be annoying at times, but the baker has never been rude with Taeyong or the other boys. 

“The one you did that time? The pearly one?”

“Yep”

“And what did he say?”

“I thought he would be creeped out, I don’t know why. I was a bit scared that as soon as he knew that I have been rooting for him that much I would come out as obsessive”

“Is not like that, Yong, you are a passionate designer and we all know that. You breath in designs, I’m not surprised you thought about his potential as a model, it’s normal”

“I know, but he could have thought so. And I felt a bit like that too, especially because that design is from before I met him, even though I modified it”

“But he wasn’t taken aback, or was he?”

“No, he took interest so I showed him and he told me it was amazing and that he would love to wear it”

“That’s great, no? Where’s the problem?”

“Yes, there’s no problem... But actually…” 

“Oh, I don’t like how that ‘actually’ sounds” interrupts Doyoung, as Taeyong moves up from his half lying position and looks at him with his big eyes of having an idea. The kind of eyes that make Johnny and him unable to say no to him. “Sounds like it’s going to cost me something”

“I need to find a makeup look to suit my design”

“And?”

“And Ten has recommended a make-up artist to do the job for me. I have to meet with him on Monday. Come with me”

“What? Why would I go there? I don’t know shit about makeup or fashion or anything”

“Because I don’t wanna go alone, I am a bit nervous of meeting him”

“You make no sense now” complains the younger, nagging his friend once more. “You meet people all the time, you have open commissions!”

“It’s not the same, come with me!”

“Here we go again with the ‘not the same’ shit. What’s so different?”

“He is friends with Ten”

“So? Ask your sweetie to go, then”

“I can’t”

“Why?”

“Because I want to see if I can take some info from him, okay?” admits Taeyong, arms crossing over his chest all sulky. “They are good friends, I know he knows about me”

He knows he sounds like a teenager in a rom-com movie now, and that Doyoung is going to use that as a source for endless teasing, which can grow even bigger if he tells Johnny and Jungwoo about it, but he needs to condone himself a little bit of the childish attitude if he wants to keep himself sane, that’s how life is, he is not flawless. 

“Are you kiddin’?” says Doyound incredulously, flaunting the exact tone that Taeyong had predicted he would use to poke fun at him. “I work on Monday”

“You work everyday, you don’t even spend that much money to do all those extra hours” accuses the older. “Take a goddamn break after lunch and come with me”

“To interrogate an innocent man?”

“No, to hire his services” says Taeyong, pretending more dignity than he actually has for the situation. “The conversation is on me”

“Why do you want me off work so bad?”

“Because we are afraid you become photo-sensitive at the beginning of summer, Doie”

“Very funny”

“Is that a yes?”

“Do I have a choice?”

*******

It’s not like Taeyong expected something dull from a makeup artist with the reputation needed for working in professional photoshoots, but he didn’t imagine that the studio would be so eye-catching. 

The place is clean-looking and modern, at least in the main waiting room. The walls are white and smooth except from the one at the back that’s covered in glossy black tiles, matching the counter, and making the red glow of a neon sign with the name of the studio and a heart doodle reflect on them. 

_ Red Stain.  _

The studio is not so far from his own tailoring shop, it’s barely a twenty-minute walk away from there, which surprised Taeyong when Ten sent him the location to his phone.

[16:03] Ten🔥: Did you find it well? 

[16:04] Babyboy 💕: Doie sucks at map reading, but the big windows and the red neon sign saved us

“Hey!” protests Doyoung, reading over the older’s shoulder and making him giggle. “Don’t shit on me with your cutie-pie”

“Serves you well for picking your nose in a private conversation” he points out, moving away from him with the phone as they wait for the lady behind the counter to return and tell them if Jung Jaehyun is done with his previous appointment. 

“Ah yeah? Should we comment on the messages above that one?” teases Doyoung, wrestling with Taeyong and fighting to pick up the device he is holding away from them both. “He is good with the thirst-traps”

“It’s a pic of his cat!”

“Very cute, yeah, no one is looking at the fact that he is shirtless” 

“I have seen him worse” grins Taeyong, devilish. 

“Well, for those hot face emojis you sent I can tell is not enough for you”

They are already pushing each other between laughs when the tall woman in heels comes back and they drop their silly fight for later so they can look professional in front of her. 

“Mr. Lee Taeyong? Jaehyun is completely free. His studio is in this corridor, the second door at the left” she says pointing at the direction where a wide, rectangular arch opens in the wall and leaves space for a hallway. “You can come in”

“Thank you, miss” 

The rest of the corridor is also covered in black tiles, from the walls to the floor. There are some clean mirrors with white led illuminating the space, probably made for clients to admire their makeup with their clothes in the same frame if they wanted. 

Taeyong has to admit that the place is quite charming, and Doyoung even stops in front of one of them with his phones and takes a picture of the outfit he has put together for today, since he is proud of pulling out something nicer for once. 

It’s not much, a striped, oversized button down with an open collar and skinny jeans, but he considers he looks pretty nice on it. He is not as flashy as Taeyong and his neon green tee paired with black jeans and a transparent cross bag, but he looks perfect with his own style. 

“My Instagram needs to see this” he says, shrugging when he discovers the designer smiling, entertained by his poses in front of the red glow of yet another neon sign of the studio’s names. 

“Agree, but my clothes don’t fit with the red aesthetics” 

“I’ll take one for you later in front of the black wall if you want”

“Deal”

As they chat they knock on the second door at the left and wait for the answer before they open and slip in. 

As soon as they step in, Taeyong takes a look at his phone and cheks the hour and location once more, just in case they have slipped, but the only thing he sees is the evidence of all of it being right and a text notification from the model. 

[16:12] Ten🔥: I already told Jae what you were looking after, but you are the artist so you can tell him better 

[16:12] Ten🔥: And don’t let him step out of line 😪😪 he has no chill 

When thinking about a make-up artist, one may fall on the stereotype of imagining a little gay boy with an eccentric personality and bright hair colors. And although they were no one to assume Jung Jaehyun’s preferred sexual orientation, just by the look, he broke all the expectations. 

From behind a long counter with thousands of makeup products on top and big mirrors in front of comfortable chairs, a soft brunette head pops out to give way to a tall, broad man. 

He is wearing a set of comfortable clothes, as expected from someone that’s working, all in black from the hoodie to the sweatpants. However, his hair is perfectly styled with gel or foam, so he has half of it pushed back and the other flows messily to fall over his eyebrows, revealing a handsome and gentle face that could perfectly belong to a TV drama’s lead role. 

“Hello?” tries out Taeyong. 

“Yeah, come in, please!”

"My god, Taeyong" scolds the younger under his breath, with an indignant tone that he doesn’t understand. He has started running his fingers through his black and soft bangs trying to straighten them well over his forehead and lining the shirt correctly over his shoulders to show the accent of the silver lock shaped pendant decorating his collar. "You gotta warn me about these things" 

"Which things?"

"Hey, you must be Taeyong" says the tall man that has approached them, waving at the blonde with a gentle, mild smile. "I am Jung Jaehyun, the make-up artist Ten sold your life to" 

"These" chokes up Doyoung to his ear. 

Taeyong can't help but smile when, a split second after, he understands what Doyoung is saying. 

His eyes are enough of an explanation if someone follows the trajectory of his attention being absolutely taken by the man greeting them. For major injury, Taeyong chuckles with the joke he has played and extends his hand out to Jaehyun, an extra charming smile and a certain amount of mischief playing . 

"Yes, I am Lee Taeyong" he croons, shaking his hand. "And this is my friend, Kim Doyoung. I hope you don't mind I brought him with me today"

Jaehyun eyes Doyoung, still with his gentle smile, yet with a sweet something in his eyes that seems to floor the black haired man in a second. 

"Not at all" says the MUA, checking Doyoung up from his head to his toes and curling his lips up in a smile that gives Taeyong the second hand goosebumps. 

They lace their hands on a polite handshake but actually, if Taeyong knows Doyoung as well as he thinks, his friend is burning underneath his skin. 

"My pleasure, literally" 

"But for the record, Mr. Jung" continues Taeyong, calling for his attention once the other two are past the mood of streaping each other with their eyes. "Ten didn't sell my soul, I came willingly. I am not that submissive" 

"I can tell that much" he smirks. 

If Taeyong is sure of anything at this point, is that Ten was right when he said one cannot win Jaehyun when the game is about being bold. The man in question seems way ahead of the designer in whichever wicked game they were having all together. Yet, Taeyong is determined to take something useful out of this session, and he is not only referring to the make-up skill references for his project with Ten, thus he decides to ignore the input Jaehyun has made. 

"So I'll explain the concept to you and how the look gotta feel, is that alright? I brought the drawings and some fabric samples" 

"You work seriously, uh?"

"Always" he says smug, not only amused with the conversation but also with his friend, who he's seeing from the corner of his eye, trying to find himself a place besides Taeyong and Jaehyun that doesn't make him look awkward. "Does it show up?"

"Well, Ten is not good at shutting up about you" 

"He is not good about shutting up about Ten either" butts in Doyoung, eliciting a loud guffaw from Jaehyun. 

"Perfect pair then" 

"We are not a pair" whines Taeyong, losing at a single stroke half of the tenacity he was convinced of wielding at first. 

"Yeah, yeah, the whole 'we are casual' thing" claims Jaehyun, highly. "Like two peas in a pod, I would even say I am talking to him now" 

It definitely makes Taeyong shrink as the embarrassment lingers over him. 

There's a subtle dip in his mood, as it sounds like Ten is still insisting in the distance between them with his friends too. Taeyong, however, only brings it up because of shyness and reluctance. 

Is not like he has many ropes left to hold on to say he is not veering to catch feelings for Ten.

He knew he had to take someone with him to complete this mission of forcing some information out of Jaehyun just because of this, but it doesn’t help that Doyoung is siding with the make-up artist instead of him by the mere effect of his broad shoulders and soft rice-cake skin. 

Stupid Doyoung and his sex-love drought. 

Taeyong looks daggers at his friend, silently demanding some deserved help, but the younger makes that expression of sheer annoyance and moves on from it. 

"So you know, I seriously want to get this work done" chimes Taeyong, taking the folder from his bag and moving to the desk that’s pulled against a wall and highly messy, making some room to lay it flat and spread the main sketches. "So let's leave the foreplay behind and get down to business" 

Jaehyun catches on to the serious mood of the older, moving by his side to take a deep look at the artwork. 

It takes them a few minutes in silence until Jaehyun hums and nods. 

"Yeah, that’s very Ten” he comments. And that's actually something that Taeyong finally wants to dig in about the model. “I can see why you took his interest with it”

"And why is that?" He inquires, disguising everything as a convenient work question. 

"You must know Ten by now. He enjoys being booked to the completion of the agenda, no matter what photoshoot it is. Almost literally, he would take anything, any work you throw his way, but he is a sucker for experiments and recently the scene is filled with average fittings. I'll tell you something, as a model it's hard to make your way up to the crazy ass designers who don't give a damn about feedback"

"I don’t know what you’re insinuating, I'm not like that, feedback terrifies me" confesses Taeyong. Despite being pretty forward, Jaehyun has a sweet undertone to make him feel comfortable speaking to him. "I know I shouldn't be dragged by other people's opinion, but it's easier said than done. I hate when I'm the target for people to tear me to pieces" 

The taller one lets out a breathy giggle, a bit gloomy in Taeyong’s ears.

"Well, yeah, it's shitty, but I mean… you may be scared, but you still do it and that's what counts. Look at that" he says, pointing at the papers in front of them. "You have the nerve. It's probably the most thrilling outfit Ten has had hauled his way in a long time, and I know that because I stick to his ass all the time and do the other half of the job"

"He always says it's you who are tired of giving him the same makeup"

"That's not a lie, I am hella tired of the smoky brown shadow" he says vividly. "He is pretty enough to pull out something better, and that's the point. Ten is pretty enough for anyone to make the extra effort of having fun with him and give him a bit more than the bare minimum. Because he makes everything look good and sold out. But not you. And I mean it in a variety of senses, Taeyong" 

"I… well, I like challenging myself" 

"Once again… I can tell that much" he giggles. "After all, you put up with Ten for longer than a month, that's a solid proof of patience" 

"Then you are patient too" offers Taeyong amused by the casual roasting of the model by the hands of his friend. 

He never thought about Ten having the same kind of friend dynamics Taeyong himself has, but it makes perfect sense. 

After all, Taeyong knowsnow that Ten is only human. 

"It doesn't count. He pays my salary, I have to bite the bullet" 

"I wish I had a paid compensation for putting up with you" joins Doyoung again, and this time Taeyong is not as mousy as he was when they came in, turning around to threaten Doyoung with a punch that sends the latter to a loud, funny screech. 

“You are the one that should pay me for dealing with your asocial ass”

"Hey, hey, may the wildcats tone it down" hoots Jaehyun. "I don't want any product dropping, they are expensive" 

"Yeah, back to the design” says Taeyong waving his hand and trying to ignore Doyoung’s pissed demeanour. “I was thinking about making this very luminous and lite. The concept still has a steamy underline, but instead of being edgy, the main colors are mellow" 

"That's going to be hard as hell to portray" 

"Yeah. It's okay if you decide that you don't want to apply for this, anyways" 

"What? No" laughs Jaehyun. "We’ll manage. I just told you how bored I am with the earthy tones. Let's give this bad bitch a matching makeup look"

Taeyong genuinely beams. Jaehyun is more intense than he pictured, but he is good to be around. 

"I have some ideas in storage that can work well, let me grab some note sketches" continues the make-up artist, disappearing somewhere in the depth of his messy studio.

Doyoung takes the chance to look directly at his friend and mutters a soundless  _ wow _ that makes Taeyong chuckle.

"Yeah, I didn’t expect him to be this energetic"

"No, no, no, I mean… wow, give him a laurel wreath and I'll believe he is the damned Apollo or something" 

Taeyong can't help the volume of his roaring laughter in front of that. 

He is about to pick up on Doyoung and his instantly whipped focus on Jaehyun, but the make-up artists reappears, pushing through the studio with swift steps and a few papers on his hand. 

First, he spreads a couple of sketches on the table, next to Taeyong’s own so they can judge the combination better. 

One is a bold look with saturated colors that paints a thick winged eyeliner and a color circle at the eye’s corner, paired with matte lipstick. The lines are very clean and fitting, but all together is very heavy looking, and Taeyong needs something lighter. 

The other one is a look meant for dewy skin, with a simple nude lipstick color, simple shimmer shadow at the center of the crease, and dozens of little beads glued around the eyes, eyebrows and cheeks. 

He points at the latter, curious about the nature of it. 

“How do you do this one? Painted?”

"Well, I have this" Jaehyun picks up a small box made of transparent plastic where Taeyong can see a lot of tiny, round pieces of different sizes "Facial pearls. They can be glued to the skin with a special glue. It’s harmless" 

"Hmm… It’s good. I want something like that, light, but we can get something a bit more striking, I think"

Jaehyun nods. "Okay, I know what you mean"

“Yeah?”

Jaehyun flips some of his papers and takes out a specific sheet to show Taeyong, tapping a finger over the design he has drawn on a face template with something that looks like pastel colors. 

“Check out”

It's gorgeous, consisting of a bunch of abstract strokes with a dry brush effect on the crease and at the corner of the eyes, blue mascara on the lashes and a bold, white, winged eyeliner that climbs back on the eyelid. 

Taeyong’s eyes throw sparkles at the view, not only digging the look but also letting his mind fly with the idea of Ten being part of a view like that. It makes his heart rush with how lovely the view he imagines is, knowing that the model would be even more joyful and beautiful with the enhanced beauty of the makeup gift paired with his pearly design. 

He would look like a living dream.

At least that is how Taeyong sees the whole scheme. 

“Can you do these strokes in silver and white instead of blue and white?” points Taeyong. 

“Yeah, sure, we can do that. You like this one?”

“Maybe the blue of the lashes… can be matched with blue contacts”

“Ten bears that well, I don’t think it bothers him”

“Then it’s bang on!”

“As expected” jokes Jaehyun, throwing some more of his overconfidence for himself, chin high as he speaks. “I actually drew this one with Ten once. It may sound a bit intense, but I like to go to cafes and sketch while I have some drinks. Ten came with me that day and we were talking about the season hues so I came out with this but archived it after because, well, it has no use with our current designers” 

“That must be it, I really really think it matches him well” 

“That’s why we got wider tables for the cafe” comments Doyoung, as a side note. “People kept coming in with their laptops and schoolwork, so Yuta suggested we should give people room to place papers”

“You own a coffee shop?” asks Jaehyun, leaving Taeyong with his silent examination of the sketch like in a trance to pay attention to the black haired man that’s leaning on his desk. 

Doyoung nods. “The exact word is that I co-own it, because Yuta has half of the benefits and expenses, but I took over most of it. And… also, technically it’s a bakery, but we have dine-in” 

“Is it good? Where is it located?” 

“It’s called  _ DochiMochi _ ” explains Doyoung, cheeks feeling a bit of embarrassment when he says the corny name of his establishment out loud for the make-up artist. “It’s in Insadong”

“Insadong? It must be chill, I should go visit once” Doyoung is about to give one of his best smiles when the shock gets him faster, for Jaehyun grabs his wrists and pushes the man with him to a chair. “Now here, sit down, we need a trial for that look”

“What!? No no no, use Taeyong, I don’t do makeup and all of that!” 

His petition is ignored, and Taeyong is enjoying the scene way too much to save him, breaking into a fit of laughter that Doyoung can perfectly hear behind him when his butt flops on the chair’s cushion, guided by Jaehyun and his hands over his shoulders. 

“It’s alright, it’s not like I need an experienced man for this” he sings, disregarding the complaints of the older. “We just need to test some colors so Taeyong can choose the best tones to match the outfit, it’s simple. Taeyong, bring those fabric samples here” 

“On my way”

“I-”

“Don’t whine, Doie” cuts Taeyong before his friend can go on with his tantrum against Jaehyun’s idea, rejoicing in the advantage of Doyoung’s apparent meekness with the make-up artist. He betrayed Taeyong earlier, so he can have his revenge without feeling bad at all. “I brought you to help me, after all”

“You’ll go to Hell one good day, Yong”

“He has a thing with Ten” laughs Jaehyun, looking at a terrified Doyoung sitting on his chair “Believe me when I say he must be there already, now close your eyes”

For the surprise of the designer, Doyoung obligues and shut his eyes as told and let Jaehyun screw off the lid of a small compact box of very pigmented silver paint and apply a stroke with a thin brush above Doyoung’s lashes. 

“It’s too metallic” comments Taeyong, getting closer to his friend and allowing Jaehyun space to turn the chair a little so the three of them can fit together. “Do you have a more gentle silver? More like moon dust”

“Moon dust” repeats Jaehyun amused, yet he turns to his table and searches for the next shade. “We’ll try that”

Doyoung has his eyes closed still, but he scrunches his nose with the click of Taeyong’s phone camera knowing that he is immortalizing the moment. 

“Fuck you”

“Save them for later, Taeyong” advises the make-up artist, coming back to them and leaning closer to their personal guinea pig so he can draw something at the other eye with a different tone of silver. “He’s going to be prettier when I’m done with him. Do you like this one better?”

“Yeah, this one is perfect, it’s more pearly” 

“It’s actually pearlescent, look” Jaehyun holds Doyoung’s face up between his thumb and index, making him angle his head under the led lights of the mirrors, so the latter can’t help but open his eyes with the confusion shading them profusely as he holds Jaehyun’s gaze way beyond the lines he has traced. “Isn’t it lovely?”

“It is” answers Taeyong, foreign to the exchange.

“Now, lipstick”

“Oh god, no” whines Doyoung. 

“Don’t worry, it’s going to be only a little bit of color, something very neutral and natural” Is not that it eases the man on the chair, but before he can say more, Jaehyun has already whipped out a lipstick bar and pressed it to the center of his bottom lip. “So, Taeyong, what are you doing in a couple of weeks?”

“What?” croaks the designer, taken with all of his guards down in front of such a question, naturally. “In a couple of weeks?”

“Yeah, I mean, the week after the next one, on Saturday. Birthdays? Plans? Are you booked?”

“I don’t think so” he says, an awkward chuckle going out from his throat. “Why are you asking”

“I am throwing a party at my house” he announces like it’s nothing. “ Would you like to come? I invited Ten, and I know he is going to invite you anyways”

“He-”

“But Ten… he does things when he feels like instead of when they are supposed to be done, so I am taking the license of inviting you myself" says Jaehyun, so airly with his words that he stunts Taeyong with the easiest of manners. It's like he doesn’t care about what he just insinuated in the slightless. Then he turns to Doyoung with a smile that makes his eyes disappear behind crescent moon shapes and dimples pop out on his cheeks. "And since I don't have the nerve of making plans in front of someone who is not supposed to be invited, let me tell you, Doyoung, you can come around too"

"Yeah?" Questions Doyoung, probably more surprised than he is showing, if Taeyong knows him enough to tell about that slight frown. 

"Yeah, of course. I would love to have you" 

Taeyong's eyebrows shoot up under his bangs. Why is he witnessing this and how has he arrived to this point of his life?

"Sure" says Doyoung, firm like Taeyong hasn't heard from him in months. "Then I'll be there" 

“So Taeyong?”

“I’m… Ten…”

“Well, yeah, Tennie” he scoffs. “He is going to ask you to go with him, but he is slow, bare with him. Act surprised when he tells you, but I am warning you beforehand so you have the proper time to get ready and choose an outfit, being a designer I bet you want to have fun picking something out”

“Do we have to dress up a lot?” asks Taeyong, his smile growing wider this time. That’s his element. “What should I expect?”

“Well, sweetie, what anyone should ever expect from a good party” spills Jaehyun with little to no shame. “Excess” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DoTae = wild gays in their natural enviroment
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	18. Sensible eye

[18:37] Ten🔥: How did everything go with Jae? 

[18:37] Ten🔥: Did he give you a hard time? 

[18:38] Babyboy 💕: not really

[18:38] Babyboy 💕: he's such a babe

[18:38] Ten🔥: Excuse me? Who's a babe now? 

Taeyong leaves an amused sigh out as he obtains exactly the one reaction he was seeking with his conceited text. 

[18:38] Babyboy 💕: your jealousy is showing~

[18:38] Ten🔥: I’m not jealous

[18:38] Ten🔥: I’m grabby

A part of Taeyong wants to believe that for the safety and integrity of his swollen heart, but the other half wants to say it's just the same silly excuse everyone uses in rom-coms to deny the obvious. 

He feels silly, knowing that he has become like this, so greedy of the forbidden part of Ten. The one that comes with the press and the pressure, with the impolite outing and the mean comments about Taeyong buying his achievements with his body. 

But he is addicted to him already, and thinking about quitting doesn’t make him happier. 

Maybe Jaehyun had a point saying he would do what he wants anyways. 

[18:39] Babyboy 💕: sounds jelly to me~

[18:39] Babyboy 💕: 😏😏😏

[18:39] Babyboy 💕: admit it baby it's okay

While he waits for the model to come back to be online and answer, as he knows he will at this hour, he scrolls the content of his phone a little bit. 

After the hectic appointment with the make-up artist, he had come home to his usual pile of work at his home studio. 

Nowadays, the commissions are feeling a bit easier to carry with. The presence of Ten going up and down his staircase makes his mood better, and the noticeable raise in his bank account when he finished the first one was a good motivation to continue with the rest. 

However, he is taking a small break from the short and super shiny dress he has on the mannequin before the gold glitter on it makes him go blind for staring at it for too long. 

He unavoidably laughs when he reaches Instagram and sees the picture that Do0_96 has posted.

It's a mirror selfie where he looks honestly good according to Taeyong’s opinion. The open collar of his shirt shows his pristine skin at the collar with his silver locker, and his expression is uniquely charming, eyes resembling those of a mischievous animal. The new accent of silver shadow and the smoky wing of the makeup shines vividly under the white light of the mirror from the studio. 

He should have taken that one while Taeyong and Jaehyun tied the deal and signed some contract papers to split the benefits in case the offer went through the agency's selection process. 

The caption makes Taeyong cock an eyebrow up.

[ **Do0-96:** I guess it was time to step out from the comfort zone. Thank you @_jeogjaehyun and @RedStainStudio I may go along with another try]

The first comment that shows up makes it go even higher, thought, and the second is definitely funny.

[ **_jeongjaehyun:** you should peak your head outta there more, you make a good view and canvas ;)]

[ **johnnyjsuh** : WHAT DID I MISS KIM DONGYOUNG?]

Between his quiet laugh to himself, he clicks on Jaehyun’s profile to follow him, noticing that Doyoung and him are already following each other. 

They don't lose time when there's chemistry. 

At least Doyoung has never been like that, he is pretty determined, so Taeyong actually wonders if he'll chicken out the moment Jaehyun makes another move. 

Because, yes, after what he had to witness like an unexpected third wheel Taeyong is quite sure that the make-up artist will try his luck with Doyoung. 

He can't really be mad at the man or anything, Doyoung needed a bit of a fresh blow of air to come back to live. 

And besides, Taeyong had been aiming to take something valuable from Jaehyun’s friendship with Ten. Maybe he was acting too delusional deep down with that trick, waiting for something that could change his vertigo for an easygoing mood to move things forward with the model, but he had to give it a go. 

And now, he doesn’t know what to think. 

To say that he hasn't been ruminating what the make-up artist said would be a lie, but who could blame him when his statement had been so out of the blunt?

Jaehyun affirmed that Ten would invite Taeyong over the party with his whole chest. He had said it in a way that wouldn't really leave anyone with doubts, he was the most convinced person he had seen in weeks, but that left Taeyong with a different worry. 

Why would Ten take so long? 

Jaehyun said it's because Ten does things when he feels like. 

Does he have to hesitate so long about inviting him to a party? 

Why? 

Taeyong gets up from his chair, rubbing circles on his temple since his head hurts a little. He picks up his prescription glasses for once and goes back to the chair to pin the hems of the dress and make a pretty ladder stitch later with the sewing machine. 

What if… Ten doesn't ask him at the end? He would know that there was a possibility once and he definitely wasn't meant to be part of that world. 

Taeyong doesn't like that idea. 

The virtual bell of his phone makes him jump on the chair with the sudden sound. He is overthinking so much that he forgot Ten was supposed to actually answer his text. 

He is getting ahead of himself with all these hypothetical situations. 

[18:45] Ten🔥: Let me guess

[18:45] Ten🔥: At the end he told you that right? That I'm so greedy and keen for you, I told him to stay quiet ~ 

Taeyong stares at the screen, and then once more, reading the pair of newest messages with his mouth about to fall open.

Well, Jaehyun had mentioned that Ten talks a lot about him, which is a good sign for him, to be frank. But to say that he is  _ greedy _ for Taeyong is a bit more of a bigger word that Taeyong cannot swallow. 

Is it even possible that Ten can possibly feel the same way Taeyong does? That is confused and soft, mostly, among the many other things that pop up in his heart everytime they do stuff together. 

He recalls perfectly that Ten once said that he is not closed to the idea of love. Perhaps it just depends on how the other person wants to deal with it. 

There's only one way to be sure of the answer, and that’s to ask, but he is not ready to take the step yet. 

He barely wakes up when the moving dots of the typing symbol show up next to Ten’s name and he remembers that the read recipe has been long gone without an answer from his part. 

[18:48] Ten🔥: He did huh

[18:48] Ten🔥: Don't even mind him

[18:48] Babyboy 💕: he actually didn't say that

[18:49] Babyboy 💕: so i guess you just left yourself high and dry 

[18:50] Ten🔥: Oh

[18:50] Ten🔥: Fuck me 

Taeyong chuckles unavoidably, typing in his answer as he tries to take things with all the humour and calm he is able to. Maybe to live the reality in which they are a possibility as a whole is not the best for himself, falling from higher later on, but he likes himself some joy. 

[18:50] Babyboy 💕: gladly

[18:51] Ten🔥: Without missing a beat, uh, babe?

[18:51] Ten🔥: You know we can do that anytime 😌

[18:52] Babyboy 💕: actually Ten

Taeyong bites his lip a little as he sends the message onto the chat to force himself to ask what his mind just made up. 

Well, is not like it has been a rash thought that just happened to him, he has been pondering about it since he had that talk with Doyoung the past Saturday, thinking about a way to put his thoughts into the perfect words to tell a piece of his mind without giving out too much yet; but he feels unready, hia hands sweaty with a different types of nerves than the ones he felt at first with the model.

It’s funny, but back then, his hands trembled out of a silly thrill of meeting a celebrity he admired, and now that he knows Ten is just a cute, sexy dork, the excitement seems to pierce deeper into his stomach. 

[18:53] Ten🔥: Actually, Taeyong?

[18:53] Babyboy 💕: well i mean

[18:53] Babyboy 💕: you see 

[18:54] Babyboy 💕: there's a Lee Sun Taek exposition in the museum of modern and contemporary art and i happen to have tickets 

[18:54] Babyboy 💕: my friends are not really into that stuff and i don't wanna drag them there on a weekday 

[18:54] Babyboy 💕: and i thought that maybe you had free time and wanted to do something 

[18:55] Babyboy 💕: something outside the bedroom i mean 

[18:55] Ten🔥: Taeyong

[18:55] Babyboy 💕: i owe you one you know?

[18:56] Babyboy 💕: for the dinner

[18:56] Babyboy 💕: i know it's not the same level but i can treat you to something at the museums terrace 

[18:56] Ten🔥: Taeyong stop typing 

[18:56] Babyboy 💕: you can say no if you want of course like no pressure 

[18:57] Ten🔥: Yongie 

[18:57] Babyboy 💕: yeah?

[18:57] Ten🔥: Chill 

[18:57] Ten🔥: I would love to go 

[18:58] Babyboy 💕: oh yeah?

[18:58] Ten🔥: Sure

[18:58] Ten🔥: It sounds fun and interesting 

[18:58] Ten🔥: When do you wanna go? 

[18:59] Babyboy 💕: it's Friday okay?

[18:59] Babyboy 💕: at 6pm or so? 

[19:00] Ten🔥: I have a thing at 4pm but i bet i can wriggle out of it a bit earlier 

[19:00] Ten🔥: Want me to pick you up? 

[19:01] Babyboy 💕: since i asked, what if i pick you up? 

[19:01] Ten🔥: Okay then

[19:02] Ten🔥: As you want 

[19:03] Babyboy 💕: okay

[19:03] Babyboy 💕: talk later

[19:03] Babyboy 💕: gotta work some more 

[19:04] Ten🔥: Sure babe

[19:04] Ten🔥: But don't overwork 

A silly smile has creeped its way onto Taeyong's lips and, as his hand rests over his chest, the fast galloping of his heart kisses his palm. 

Somehow he feels more relieved now that he has leaped into that pool. He feels glad that he has done it. 

It's Ten after all. Not the model but his cute, sexy dork, Ten. 

He wouldn't hurt him like that. It seemed impossible. 

*******

He fixes his hair in the car's rear-view mirror one more time before Ten makes his way down the building and enters the vehicle. The change is barely noticeable, but once more, Taeyong is striving to look his best for the model, still oblivious to the depth of Taeyong’s passion in this field. 

Or so he hopes, it would be embarrassing to have Ten noticing how hard he tried lately. 

He is wearing a simple white shirt and washed out jeans with the preoccupation of it being too much. But since it's a museum date -because Taeyong has decided to call it like that in his mind- he had quite the excuse to look a bit more dressed up. 

Since Ten and him have been mostly spending the last month meeting each other at home, the model was missing the parade of outfits that Taeyong had in his mind to seduce him. And there’s not another way to go back to it now that the older truly wants that. 

The sound of the door being opened and the cheerful greeting coming from Ten as he bargains in the car catching him red handed in the middle of his grooming season. 

He looks like he is in a good mood, his smile making the small marks around his nose pop out like the whiskers of a cat. 

Stopping in the middle of the force of this entrance, Ten’s eyes land over the designer, who's waiting for him to settle down on the copilot seat with a gentle smile. He seems to stop for a second to take in the view he has in front of him now that he has closed the door of Taeyong’s way more humble car. 

"Hey" greets Taeyong, softly. 

"You cut your bangs" points out Ten, as if Taeyong doesn't know his hair doesn't look the same as before. "And dyed your hair" 

"Yeah" The older nods with a shy chuckle, brushing a hand across his now silver hair, grown out around his face and behind his head but with see-through bangs over his forehead. "You don't like it?" 

Ten scrunches his nose, eliciting a giggle from the older. "I didn't say that" 

"Then get used to this, I change my hair a lot" 

"I can deal with that, I like surprises. And you look cute" 

Taeyong grins and starts the engine again to leave the front door of Ten’s agency as soon as they can, changing it for somewhere else with less possible people waiting around to poke their nose into their private business together. 

He wouldn't admit it to Ten if he asked, but a museum date seemed perfect on a week day. It's pretty, interesting and devoid of people to a point of being free from people wanting to unveil their secret. Of course he bought the tickets online on purpose to do this, he never had them beforehand. 

"You seem cheerful today" 

Taeyong begins to regret the decision of driving himself the moment he notices that he can't stare at Ten curling on the seat comfortably instead of the road, just catching the view from the corner of his eye.

The model, out of the sexy mood he brings to Taeyong when he wants something more than an easy time, looks so small. When he presents himself like that, wearing his round glasses and a happy summer shirt, it’s just a calm kind, up for a normal day together. 

It makes Taeyong want to smooch him and keep him with his whole heart.

"I am happy" he replies, simply shrugging and leaning back on the soft seat. 

He is staring curiously at the car's stereo and, if Taeyong can guess right by the other times he has been with Ten in a car, it's because he is waiting to hear music. 

"You can turn some music on if you want"

Without a lot of hesitation, Ten's fingers explore the buttons of the music player until they find the on button and the device starts playing one of the songs Taeyong has saved in his playlist. 

He recognizes it right away, as the soft beat plays and the vocalist starts singing the lyrics of a chill, romantic soul piece that makes him suck his own lip in, losing his mind to the opportune verses filling in the space between him and Ten. 

His eyes flicker to check the screen showing the title as the letters move on, the word “Oceane” bright. 

It says it’s great to live some more with someone and try it all. 

Maybe that’s true. 

"So is there something that made you so happy today or it's just because?" he asks, sparking a conversation as he turns the street down to Jongno. It’s not even a fifteen minute ride until they get there, but it’s nice to get to spend this kind of moment with Ten, as he drives and the sun of the summer evening cascades through the barely present clouds into the car, making their skin glow with a bit more of a sunkissed, healthy look. 

His chest rises with a tingly feeling of… carelessness? No, it’s more like freedom. The sensation spreads through him gently as he exhales too, having himself a taste of freshness that he hadn’t noticed he missed as much as he suddenly finds out. 

"I don't know, it just looks like a nice, sunny day" 

"Ah yeah, I forgot you’re quite the summer lover"

"That'll be me" he says amused. "But actually, since you asked, I signed a cover contract today"

"Really? For a magazine?"

"Yep. Harper's Bazaar" 

"Shut up!" Blares Taeyong, smiling big at the road ahead of him but taking a couple of seconds to show that to his passenger, who doesn’t miss the corresponding beam. "I love that magazine" 

"Yeah, it’s quite good with the photoshoots, and the covers are usually very pretty, so I am happy about that. And the fact that I can go out from the boring part of the coordination meeting because you picked me out improves the day even more"

Taeyong grips the wheel a bit harder as the model says such a thing to him, not wanting his face to give out a blushed look. 

Ten is also humming to the rhythm of the song playing, fingers tapping the armrest like an exact metronome, making it clear that he knows the tune. The older can’t help but wonder if he relates to the mood thickening the air too, if he feels that his skin is tingly and his stomach unsettled with a threatening flight of butterflies all around. 

"Are those as boring as you paint them to be?" He mumbles, a bit too soft. "The meetings"

“They are not so thrilling as going out with you, that’s for sure" 

Thankfully, Taeyong has to slow down the car and stop behind a couple of other vehicles that are waiting for a bunch of pedestrians to cross the road and the traffic light to change to green, having the opportunity to take a proper look at the man beside him. 

He is wearing a blue shirt with a silly print of japanese cats tucked on his jeans, and the short, wide sleeves let his bronzed arms bare, showing the black strokes of ink that he has on his skin. To be fair, Taeyong has seen him way more naked than this, but he is still in love with the view, enjoying the laid back moment to appreciate everything as a whole. 

Peeking at the title of the new song showing up in the music player, Ten brushes his bangs out of his face distractedly. It’s a simple gesture that he has probably executed thousands of times in front of the older, but it provokes something in Taeyong that he doesn’t remember to belong there before. A craving that’s different now, a small bit of nostalgia mixed in his usual neediness. 

Their eyes lock together in a brief instant. 

The way Ten takes a bit of a sharper breath in and the quick lick of his lips makes the designer think, only for a moment, that he must feel in too.

He looks back to the road and gets the car moving again, Ten also going back to be activated and taking the luxury of quickly diverting his eyes from Taeyong to skip the song- apparently named “Wallflower”- that’s making the air so viscid with its sensual chords, changing it for a more vivid beat by Kendrick Lamar.

“So, you know? I am actually surprised of what you said about your friends not really being into this kind of plans”

“It's not like they would have said no” he explains, as a little bit of an implicit confession about his intentions towards the model. “But Doyoung is an airhead that can't barely be dragged out of his work schedule once a week, and I already used that opportunity on Monday. As for Johnny and Jungwoo, they seemed to be having some secret movie time at Johnny’s today after Jungwoo finishes his classes, so I chose not to break the moment just in case” 

“Oh? So they signed the peace contract then?” asks Ten, with the tint of mischievous amusement that Taeyong is used to by now filtering into his voice. “How did that go? Were they a pain in the ass or they did it like big boys?”

“You wanna hear about that?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I don’t know them a lot, but tea is tea”

“And it’s hot” adds Taeyong, giggling. “But I thought I might get you bored talking about my friend’s drama”

“And what do you want us to talk about, then?” inquires the younger, part of him seemingly really baffled by Taeyong’s input. 

Taeyong shrugs “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t mind to talk about all of this things, really, but some guys seriously get bored of that kind of conversation”

“Do they?”

“Usually”

“Dump them”

Taeyong's laugh sounds so clear, but it fades slowly as he hears the blatant pause Ten makes. He quickly steals a glance from the model, quietly looking at the buildings passing by their side from the window, making the designer believe that he is being serious this time.

He sighs. “As if they are somewhere near at this point” 

It is true. There’s no one around Taeyong holding those kinds of intentions for him anymore, and even if they were, he wouldn’t have paid them no attention at all in favour of the man that’s next to him. They would have done nothing to him, and as much as Taeyong would have liked to be able to have someone on the hook to pretend he is not moving to the dangerous side of the seesaw, his own preferences for a man had swapped all the possibilities when Ten came into the match like a bomb. 

“I mean” continues the younger, hands gesturing all over the place, trying to explain his own phrasing with a mute language of his own invention that doesn’t do that much for Taeyong. Especially because he is focused on the road for their own safety. “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to tell you who you should hang out with, that’s your choice. It’s just that I can’t… I can’t stand people like that and I think you deserve much more than that.” Ten makes a brief pause after spilling his guts like that to Taeyong, but he speaks again in a moment to recover the conversation. “So what happened with Jungwoo and Johnny?”

Taeyong gulps, trying to follow the conversation after that impromptu moment of sincerity.

“Ah… I- I used your advice and let them fix their stuff by themselves. Is not like I did anything, but you were right, they did it by themselves”

“I told you so” says Ten, nodding. “You were stressing because of their problems, that’s not fair. They don’t need a matchmaker, do they now?”

“They definitely don’t” admits Taeyong, humored. “Neither of them have said anything either, but Doyoung and Johnny share an apartment and-”

“And they were roommates!” laughs Ten, funny with his own joke and the way Taeyong sucks the air with his wheezy laugh. 

“Oh my god, they are roommates! Yeah! So Doyoung told me that Johnny was in a very good mood when he came back the other night, so we have our suspicions. Johnny is not good at keeping his mind for himself, his gestures always give it away. We- Doyoung and I- don’t want to say anything because they may want to take it slow, you know? Shit has been… a mess, so I am sure Jungwoo don’t want to rush it, I know him too and he has told me about it before”

“I get his point, rushing stuff like that is risky” comments the younger, whose eyes are now diverted to the unexpected shift of music in the car’s stereo, blasting ‘Sugar, we are going down’ but he doesn’t say a word or makes a single gesture to skip it. “But I could play the devil’s advocate because I’m the kind of person that rushes everything up all the time”

“You?” scoffs Taeyong, not able to keep that one for himself. “Rushed? My ass” 

It’s an itchy sensation, and he knows he might come out a bit too bitter with his tone, but he is dead sure of one thing, and that’s how he has done more waiting with Ten than with anyone else in his life. 

Even when he stopped waiting for the model to take him to the dormitory and get rid of the sexual tension- despite Ten fulfilling his promise of making him enjoy it as much as he suffered the wait-, the man keeps him waiting for things.

For instance, Jaehyun’s party. Knowing that he should be holding up for an invitation that could never come is making him go insane deep down.

“Are you still mad about the night I took you out?” grins Ten, totally foreign to the designer’s mind process. “C’mon, I haven’t pulled that card on you anymore” 

“I don’t mean it like that” sighs Taeyong. 

If he has sounded as discouraged as it comes, he is sure that Ten has picked on the drop of his voice. 

He has driven the way into the parking lot in front of the museum, which is considerably empty for an early summer day. He guesses that all the students are still having their last days of school, and the rest of people mostly having their evening shifts at working. Is not like the museum is the most crowded place of them all in any day, but he is especially grateful that he can park the car near the entrance without a lot of maneuvering and searching during a day of good weather. 

When the car is finally lined and totally stopped, he turns off the engine and takes the key out, making the music and other noises from the machine come to a halt. 

Taeyong turns, finally, clashing facefront with Ten’s eyes. 

They gaze at each other for a moment, engrossed by the sudden silence of the car. 

The nervousness finally pinches Taeyong’s stomach. 

“So?”

Taeyong sighs again, softly this time and remembering Doyoungs words. He hates to admit it, but the bastard had a point when he told Taeyong he has been steps ahead of Ten for years and the model was more likely to still need to get there.

Taking his mind back, it has barely been a couple of months since he slipped his number on Ten’s recipe, which is not that many days for forging something with a new person.

“I meant that… overall, you don’t give the impression of a hurried person away”

The sound that comes out from the model surprises Taeyong, being an almost sarcastic blow of air through his nose, paired with an skeptical purse of his lips. 

Maybe this feels fast for him, and yet, the model has accepted to come with him anyways, so that could mean that he is on the right track. 

“Maybe it has to do with the fact that I’ve found myself the most impatient person in the world” he croons, shameless to Taeyong’s amused eyes.

“That gotta be me that you are talking about” 

“Who else?” grins the model, sparking the tingles in Taeyong’s heart with a smile that would make a sunflower follow him around all day. 

They finally seem to remember they had come to the museum for a reason, hopping off the car and going inside the building before the opening time of the place ran out for them on a weekday evening after their work shifts. 

The place is considerably empty and absolutely silent by the exception of a low chatter, the muddled murmur of the air-con and the echo of footsteps somewhere lost in the galleries. 

Taeyong hands the couple of tickets to the receptionist that welcomes them with a smile and a head gesture, and then, he gives in and starts pacing his way inside the museum with Ten obediently following the path that Taeyong is actually improvising, if not guided by the signs with arrows pointing at the exposition in question. 

The light inside the building is a bit dimmer than Taeyong has planned it to be, so he lets out a sigh and stops for a moment, taking something out of his bag. 

Ten looks back at him, curious. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but…”

“But?”

“Don’t laugh” murmurs the older. 

Ten’s eyebrows go under his black and blonde fringe. “About?”

The older one pouts, taking out his pair of black framed glasses and putting them on to get rid of the blurry sight that has increased now due to the lack of light. 

A stray smile paints Ten’s face, and a small breathy sound escapes through his lips, making Taeyong take them off again. 

“I’m done”

“Yah!” exclaims Ten, a bit too loud for a museum but still calm despite the evident giggles that turn his voice higher. “Leave them on”

“You laughed!” whines Taeyong. 

“About how stupid you are! Like, and what if you need glasses? I am wearing mine!”

“It’s not the same! You look fine, but glasses don’t look good on me, I look like a nerd”

“That’s not true, and actually, what’s the matter even if it was? The point is that you need them to see” 

“But-”

“But? This is a museum, Taeyong. Call me crazy but I think that it would be an advantage if you could see the exposition you paid for”

With his statement, Ten gets to catch Taeyong’s glasses, stealing them from his hand and moving in closer to put them on him. He is careful as to not poke Taeyong’s eyes with the side pieces. Taeyong’s body starts drowning in chills, feeling Ten’s presence so close to him, the heat of his body passing through him with the almost nonexistent ghost of Ten’s fingers touching his cheek.

He makes him heady with his proximity, and it doesn’t get better when the model places his hand on Taeyong’s, pushing from him towards the starting point of the exposition’s route. 

The designer doesn’t dare to say anything in response, following after the younger with a carefree sprout of happiness going through him and his glasses falling on the bridge of his nose turning the room much more clear than before. 

He could live with things like  _ this _ , with the Ten that doesn’t need him looking his hundred percent fancy and that cuts down his fits of insecurity with a funny laugh, gentle eyes and laced hands. 

And that’s becoming clear as day. 

“Okay” he mutters, softly. "I'll wear them, then. Just for today"

"Seeing the pieces sounds good, isn't it?" Mocks the younger.

Taeyong's focus on the pieces is scattered at first whatsoever, filled with the trace of preoccupation about whether Ten can feel his palm becoming sweaty on his and if, in his mind, the model would blame the weather for it. 

"It’s… a bit hot in here" he musters for a good measure, hoping it was a nice try to conceal what really goes on.

Arising his panic even more, Ten limits to chuckle under his breath without further additions. 

Taeyong feels like he should be yelling. 

However, they first stop at the welcoming panel with a long text that seems to give a bit of biographic information about the artist, who appears to be graded by the art critics as a pioneer for korean contemporary art, refusing to follow the western trends for it development and decided to think things according to his view and world.

Knowing that, Taeyong is not as surprised by the unique representation that adorned the first room, saddled between being a sculpture and something else. There are branches hanging from the ceiling with transparent strings and long, white threads that cascade from them to the floor like a magical rain of fringes. 

He doesn’t understand much, but he is far from bored or hoping for the end of it. As they visit the different rooms of the exposition, taking turns to read the panels with the titles and even taking a few pictures of each other once the model convinces Taeyong that he looks fine wearing his glasses. And he does. Taeyong is amazed by it, but Ten happens to take good photographs. 

He surely has begun forgetting how many of Ten’s selfies and pictures have seen through the course of his odd story with him.

There's a very specific one that Taeyong feels fond of as soon as he sees. It's a simple shoot of him from the back, with his neat shirt and perfectly brushed hair, standing in front of a piece and tilting his head to the side a lot as if that could make him find something new from what he was observing. He's not posing, as he didn't even know he was being photographed, but that makes it better. 

Maybe Ten just finds his appealing moments by himself without a need for a fancy pose. Or maybe Taeyong is just going crazy and delusional. 

He tries his best to come up with a cohesionate discourse as they comment what they think about the pieces when Ten brings up one of his endless questions born from curiosity, but the talking braids with long moments of tender silence and some murmurs of the model when he asks Taeyong for the meaning of a complicated korean word that he reads in the briefly explanatory pamphlet he had taken from the shelf at the entrance. 

Those moments are the ones that send Taeyong into orbit. 

It looks like Ten really holds attention for what he is visiting, quiet for once and eyes scanning through the shapes and textures in front of him. And it’s not like Taeyong is not interested in the things he might discover about art for the day, he himself had chosen this plan because he thought it was appealing when he saw the announcement, but his company is taking the attention all for himself without knowing. 

His eyes have a glazing shine, his semblance is calm, and his lips are barely parted while he is absorbed by something. As the minutes pass, his tongue even peeks out between his lips due to the loss of his care for the other things that surround him. It’s nothing sexual at all, it’s just a cute little habit that gets Taeyong’s eyes to soften. 

The older moves sluggishly by the model’s side, making it look casual with his pace if not with the tilt of his body, which could be branded as cuddly for the way his body pieces on the curve of Ten’s hip. He tilts his head, using the few centimeters that make him taller than Ten to take a peep of the model’s read. 

In the paper, there’s a miniature of the piece they are now in front of. It’s in a painting format, in the sense that the medium is a canvas, but instead of painting, the artist used ropes to create different waves that seem to represent the patterns left by wind on a surface. 

“You look concentrated” comments Taeyong, using their very opportune context to talk slowly into Ten’s ear, just with the voice that an angel should have. “What are you reading about?”

“I was taking a guess of what this really represents”

“Isn’t it supposed to be a wind imprint?”

“Well, that’s what the pamphlet says” 

“But you think otherwise? You are smarter than the pamphlet?” poses Taeyong, funny. His lips are curled up in a smile, but the moment Ten’s eyes leave the text to give him his plain attention, his heart seems to go on the rampage. He fights against the chills to push through whatever he was planning to say. “I am not surprised, you are the king of suppositions. Surprise me with your opinion”

“It’s not an opinion, it’s more like a reflection. I was thinking this man was very into textures and things that can’t be held. It must be hard to draw something like wind, or smoke, so this is quite creative, isn’t it?”

Taeyong blinks for a moment, going back to his normal stand to stare at Ten with overcome. 

“That’s a very elaborated thing to say” he barely mumbles, still amused. "How did you make that up?"

“I have my interests, Lee Taeyong” he warns, using his full name again after some time and reminding him of the sweet bitterness of the sound when Ten uses it to fool around. “And I studied, didn’t you read it on my Wikipedia page? I have to tell the editors to add my education’s curriculum”

"Really? So you do have a brain" jokes Taeyong, laughing at the frown that tugs from Ten’s eyebrows as soon as the teasing starts. "I thought you do all the thinking with your di-"

"Ssh" cuts Ten up, pressing a finger to his own lips theatrically. "Watch your mouth, this is a cultural space" 

A part of him sounds genuine about what he just said, but it's just a tint under the sheer will of pulling Taeyong’s leg. 

"What I was trying to say," explains the older, taking the conversation to another detour. "Is that I didn't know you had notions of art. I mean, I assumed you must know a lot of fashion, like me, but not like... Fine Arts" 

"And you think that's hot of me?" Hums Ten. 

His smug smile filters into his tone, and the flexible move behind the older man seems like the step of a feline wrapping its tail around him. 

Taeyong smiles for himself, eyes still on the piece and a little tilted down towards the floor. 

"I think it's charming of you" 

He hears the subtle, humoured wisp of air that comes from Ten and, despite not knowing how to take it exactly, his heart feels light. 

The model has moved by his side to watch the piece from the same perspective as Taeyong. 

"Then wait to hear more of it, I can be your free guide" 

“You know that much? I can’t believe”

“It’s not like I know a lot about the artist in particular” says Ten, not letting Taeyong’s teasing get him, for his voice is convinced of what he is saying. “But the point of art is on the viewer. Without the imagination and the sensibility to watch a piece, it’s nothing”

Taeyong perceives the thickness of his smitten sigh, but he can’t be stopped. 

He turns his gaze to look at Ten through the wall of his lashes, eyes half closed with the warmth of the situation. 

He is truly in this shit down to his knees. 

He likes Ten, he truly likes Ten a lot. 

"All this time coming around for inspiration with my designs and I should have brought the model with me…" he jokes, not really joking. 

"Should I write you a review and send it your way? You can put it on your creative wall on your studio" 

"Wait for the pearls outfit to pass through the selection process and then we'll see if you really model my designs well" 

"So you submitted it?" Asks Ten, forgetting about the wind imprints and the teasing. 

"Mostly me, but Jaehyun owns a part too.you can say we submitted it as a team" 

"So dangerous, you two" 

Taeyong tries not to think about the piece he's missing, all impatient to get asked about acompanning Ten over to a friend's party. 

They already went to the Fashion Week with him, which could make that less important or exigent than a private party. 

"I really hope it gets accepted" he musters, quietly and barely audible, but Taeyong can hear it. “Because I know it would make you so happy”

“Wanna go grab something to eat now?” tells the older, clearly aware that he can’t stand another minute spent like the past hour, lost in the most appealing piece of them all that’s, by the way, the man that came in with him. He can’t go through more of the kind of comfort he is experiencing by his side, sure that he can’t cope with the obligation of being talked to in whispers that come from Ten, tinted of a deeper tone and the strong scent of his perfume sipping through every nook and cranny of the museum. “The exposition ends in this room and I promised I would treat you to something nice” 

"I'm not going to say I'm not hungry..." 

"Yeah, right? Me too" he rushes. He needs to breathe before he collapses into a pathetic spectacle of recently discovered feelings. "There's a bistro in this museum, and I have always wanted to try it out, but I never stop by. I guess it’s a bit weird to do it by myself but now you are here, so..." 

"Sounds good to me, anything you choose, really. You lead the way" 

Taeyong nods and they both move to the museum's restaurant. 

Every museum has one, and they are usually on the expensive side, but Taeyong doesn’t really mind paying a bit more to treat Ten today and, in addition, he recently got the full payment for that bright golden dress commision, so his pockets are rather full. 

As he said, he is no sugar baby for the model, so he'll take that bill gladly. 

At the time they arrive, they are greeted by the green and red of pretty salvia flowers on huge pots and the clean lines of the modern furniture they chose for the dining area. 

There is a long sofa trailing alongside the windows and tables in front of it, completing the set with a chair at the other side; as well as a few other tables scattered through the salon. However, the tables were separated enough to not make it uncomfortable if two groups of guests were side by side.

This last thing seems irrelevant due to the fact of being about the fifth group of people that decided to make a stop in the restaurants at this hour, halfway between a midday snack and the dinner, so there is plenty of space for them when the lady in charge leads them to their seat and hands them a menu. 

The place seems to have so few traces of human transit today, that they even agree to sit near the big windows with a pretty view of the garden.

Ten lets out a whistle, reading through the food options with an amused sight. 

"Damn, Lee Taeyong" he grins "You sure know how to impress a man" 

The older smiles and, if omitting how his palms are sweating still, he feels proud of how he's managing the compliments.

"And I'm not even trying" he lies, for the sake of the light hearted vibe they are into. "You like the place?"

"Well, let me say, if only this was a date, you'd have nailed it" 

"Would you like it to be a date?" Aks Taeyong, blatantly. Just as Ten had said what he had said. 

"Depends"

"On what?"

"On the quality of the plate of green pesto tagliatelle I'm about to order" 

Taeyong chuckles, shaking his head with Ten's goofy outcomes and going back to the menu to choose something worthy. 

He knows for a fact that Ten is once more joking, but this time, he can’t let it pass.

"It really depends on the food? Not on me?"

"Not really, but can you do even more than this?" Inquires the model, pointing around them. This is it, Taeyong’s stomach flips around and forgets about the food in favour to just eagerly swallow the daydream his mind is building around this moment. "The effort part obtained a good mark, the company is already  _ flawless _ , now to the feeding a starving model part of the evaluation"

Taeyong shakes his head amused, letting Ten be and trying not to give away the jumpiness of his heart although his cheeks may be heated up in red. 

He sure hopes that pasta is fucking amazing. 

Finally, he opts for a seafood and vegetables casserole for himself and a big slice of a two layers lemon buttermilk cake that, by the end of the meal, ends up in a small, fancy plate in the middle of the table as both men dip their spoons on it. 

Meanwhile, their chattering continues, tranquil and without carrying the connotations of the situation leading to that one activity that seems to consume their relationship. Taeyong knows the flame is there, and far from stinguising, but today, he wants to keep it out of the sheets with the model, now doing a funny dissertation about his particular branding of avocados being vegetables instead of fruits. 

However, during this moment and seeing the evening going towards its end to turn into night, he can't help but notice how Ten has yet to mention Jaehyun’s party. A part of the designer hosted some hope that Ten was waiting to be face to face to ask him if he wanted to go with him to that goddamn party, but the minutes slip away and there’s no attempt. 

He wonders why. In his eyes everything is unfolding well, they are having fun and he would even say Ten is engaging with the different environment. 

Jaehyun mentioned Ten never doing things on time, and Taeyong eagerly wants to believe the make-up artist's statement now. 

They both reach for the last piece of cake, spoons clashing at the center of the plate and hands brushing slightly. 

Something about it makes Taeyong a bit bashful, his eyes big when he looks up to Ten, carrying a similar expression than him. 

The younger starts withdrawing the spoon.

"Sorry, you can have it" he confers, slipping the spoon into his mouth to lick the remaining buttercream from the cutlery.

Taeyong shakes his head. "No, have the last piece for you this time. Go ahead"

"I don't mind, I know that you like cake a lot" 

"I do" admits Taeyong nervously, noticing the naturality in which Ten talks about things he likes. "But I always eat almost all of it, and this date is on me, so you can have the last piece" 

"You sure?" He nods, and Ten's lips curl lively, scooping the last piece of cream and sponge to shove it in his mouth. "I see that you assumed I liked the food, then"

Still shy, Taeyong snorts and points at the empty plate that Ten has laying in front of him to explain his usage of the word 'date'.

As if it wasn't obvious for a huge quantity of other reasons. 

"I'm not as good of a detective as you, but judging by how you cleared the content of that plate, either you loved it or you have a high tolerance" 

"My tolerance is great" jokes Ten, pushing his hair back a little. "But it's indeed the first option, detective Lee" 

Taeyong, after that, can assume that he had a date with Ten for real and that they both were aware of it. 

And as such, he worries about the perfect finish for the day. 

He ponders about it when he pays the bill and they move to the car again, settling in their seats and taking the leave driving back to Ten’s apartment as the sun falls and gets closer to the horizon. 

He would like to know for sure if he should lean on Ten, sending everything to hell, or just wave him goodbye. 

They have kissed a lot of times, but it has always been for the sake of sex. Apparently. If they don't count, of course, that time when Ten kissed him in the store after a compliment, but he doesn't wish to make it happen like that this time because it was awkward. 

Thinking about these things doesn't help him easing his nerves or making a decision, and summing it up to the silence from Ten regarding the infamous party, he feels like breathing air is way harder than it should. 

When he stops the car in front of Ten’s house building and looks at the model again, he is giddy, even. 

He is not sure of what he should start with, nor what should he do with his hands now that they left the wheel, so he places them on his thighs and strokes them to try to ease his anxiety. 

"So I… I enjoyed this a lot" he finally says, making his way through a stammer. It's definitely impressive how things like a date can still make someone shy in front of a man that has been banging him for a couple of months. "We should do it again, sometime. I hope we can do it… if you like"

"I would like that" smiles Ten, discharging half of the tailor's nerves away. 

"Yeah?"

"Sure. And thank you. For everything"

"I said it, I owed you one for the dinner"

"No, not for treating me. I mean… for everything" tries to explain the younger, gesturing with his hands in a big circling motion and repeating " _ Everything _ " 

They both seem to synchronize as they make a pause. 

Ten's lips seem so soft as Taeyong’s eyes lock on them, knowing for sure they have the great, smooth feeling of a strawberry with mist on the surface. 

He hesitates with the idea, returning his attention to Ten’s eyes instead, but the model’s focus doesn't seem to be too far from Taeyong's parted mouth either. 

He swallows the thick air. 

Maybe he should wait for Ten to do it and spare him the pain of forcing his frozen body to move, but he is taking too long to lean on him. 

Almost as much as he is needing to invite him over to the party. 

Their eyes finally lock.

"So… text me when you get home safely, alright?" 

The hand that descends to touch Taeyong’s bicep is gentle, but on the inside, it makes Taeyong ache a little. 

He would have preferred the kiss.

His breath in is shaky, but he obligues and gives out a meek smile to Ten, nodding slowly. 

"I will" 

Ten opens the door and beggins getting out of the car, but Taeyong has a strange sensation in his chest. 

"Ten!" 

The model turns around, leaning on the door to peek his head inside the car again. 

"Yeah?" 

_ Kiss me, please. _

"I'm- I-" Taeyong trips over his words, eliciting a curious glance from the model that's reminded of the first version of Taeyong he met, not without confusion. What did he plan to say? This is so stupid. "Send me the pics you took today, okay?" 

Ten smiles again and nods. 

"I will, baby" he assures, finally waving goodbye and closing the door. "See you soon" 

As Taeyong finally watches him disappear behind his apartment's front door, his head falls back on the seat's headrest, eyes closing tired. 

"Give him a week" he mutters for himself, as the stereo jumps to the next song without him noticing the end of the previous one and gives him the sad tune of an indie song. "No need to rush, there's still a week left… he'll say it… he will" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	19. Excess as its best

The week is quite close to fully running away by the time Taeyong leaves out a sigh that draws Doyoung’s pitiful look to the older.

It's the late evening of a Wednesday and Doyoung has spared himself a break from being behind the counter to have some tea with his friend, whose visit at the bakery has been unexpected. 

Apparently, Doyoung has been easier to distract and divert from work these last days, and Yuta has been allowing that just fine despite the teasing from his part because, somewhere in between their working relationship he had started worrying about Doyoung’s careless addiction to work. 

At this hour, Johnny is taking care of his group of aunties trying some yoga routines, and Jungwoo has been retained in his laboratory to get through a job security inspection because some student -named Sungchan- had been close to blowing up a microwave while trying to get some food ready. 

Summarizing, Taeyong had nowhere to go with his growing gloom except from Doyoung’s bakery, ordering a big slice of rainbow cake with white, sugary filling between every single one of the seven layers.

"Still nothing?" tries Doyoung, softening his voice enough to be comforting without babying Taeyong. The older wouldn't have liked that in such a moment. 

Taeyong softly shakes his head no. 

"I am so… confused" he says, trying to voice what his head is spinning around. 

"Come on, tell me what happened. You argued with Ten?" 

"No… We went out together last Friday, it was perfect, I..." 

"You did?"

The designer nods, a bit shy as he suddenly realizes he had forgotten to tell Doyoung about it. 

The past weekend's conversations with Doyoung had mostly consisted of them trying to obtain a conclusion out of their other two friend's behaviour. 

Things didn't seem to go bad in between them, but they were strangely secretive about it, especially Johnny, whose face had become unusually red when, during dinner, Doyoung asked him if he had been able to test Jungwoo's kissing ability again. Hence, they assumed it was a yes. 

"Well, yeah" continues Taeyong, glancing at his mug with a soft smile as he recalled the event, almost feeling Ten's softness as he put his glasses on Taeyong and the warmth of his petite body again. He was so precious. "You told me I could try things out of the bedroom and I thought it would be nice to do that with him… so I asked him and took him out to try"

"I see where this is heading" smirks Doyoung, knowingly. "So?"

Taeyong bites his lips coy, not wanting to give it away so easily for a friend that always teases him. But at the same time, he is not going to make things better by keeping the secret. 

"I think I like him" he barely mumbles, embarrassed. "I think so…yeah"

Doyoung’s smile doesn’t help him. Or that's what he thinks, at least, so he diverts his eyes from him with a whine. 

"So how was the day? What did you do?"

"It was great," Taeyong says, smiling again, eyes still avoiding his friend. "I invited him to watch an exposition in the museum, about a contemporary artist. Told him I had spare tickets but that was a little lie of mine... It was cool, and he seemed very interested in the activity..." 

"I don't know if it sounds boring or he just matches your mood"

Taeyong chuckles funny no matter the blue tone that lingers in his heart.

"He even explained some stuff to me, so I guess it’s the second option"

"Really? He is saving me, Jungwoo and Johnny from the 'i need inspiration' days when you drag us to the boring places?" Mocked Doyoung.

"Shut up, you are more boring than me. You would have taken him to, I don’t know, fishing or something"

"I would have taken him to eat, like a normal person!"

"We did that too. I said I would treat him to dinner at the museum's restaurant so we had some nice dishes and while we were there… we actually kinda talked about everything being a date or not" 

Doyoung’s eyebrows rise, as he seems to make a pause to measure his next intervention. 

He places the mug on the table and looks at Taeyong.

"And the conclusion was…?"

"That it was"

"It was clearly a date from the beginning!" Butts in Yuta that have been listening to him from the counter, startling Taeyong but making the man grin. "The way you asked him out? I don't even think he bought your 'little lie' about tickets, it screams date from beginning to end, so don't even try to say the dude is half-hearted about you if he said yes knowing all of that!"

"Shut up, you don’t have a dog in this fight!" says Doyoung, tossing a clumped napkin to his co-worker so he goes back to his business. Then, turning back at Taeyong, he adds "But Yuta is right, it sounds like an absolute date. Did you… you know?"

"What?" Asks Taeyong, not understanding Doyoung’s hand gestures. 

"Kiss" 

"I- we-"

"You did?"

"No" sighs Taeyong, defeated. "I was dying to do it, but…"

"But?"

"I felt petrified when he looked at me, okay? I shyed away, I was so nervous I just… it scared me to be wrong"

"But what about him? He wanted to?"

"How do you want me to know? I'm not a mind reader"

"I don't know, maybe you had a clue, what was his face? I don’t know!" 

"I'm terrible at clues! For a moment he was looking at me with those… those eyes, oh my god. I thought he was going to go for it… but no"

"Maybe he was also nervous"

"I don't know" sighs Taeyong, and Doyoung starts understanding what is all about. The doubts. "I thought that was the reason, I wanted to think that he also shyed away because he felt the same, but the days are passing and now I just can't keep my mind from the fact that it's almost Saturday and… there’s no way for me to get ready for a party in a couple of days"

"Oh…" 

"And he knows me, he knows how much effort I like to put on things like outfits because it is my thing, so I know for sure that he is not going to invite me over"

"To Jaehyun’s?"

"Yeah. I hate him for telling me that shit even existed, I swear. I was happy in my ignorance, okay?"

"I… It’s not Jaehyun’s fault, actually, you can't hate him"

"I know, but what do I do now? I need someone to blame" says Taeyong bitterly, sulking as he crosses his arms on his chest. "I'm the annoying pet that can’t be taken to places" 

"What?"

"I know I shouldn't be acting like this but I can't stop asking myself… why if he doesn't want to spend time with me? Am I boring?"

"You know for sure that he's not going to say anything about the party?"

"I guess" sighs Taeyong again. "I'm giving up"

It hurts him deeply, and he wants to still give a little benefit of the doubt for the model, but he is practically settled in a negative. 

The more he thinks about it, the more frustrated he gets, verging in some anger mixed in with the bummer. 

"And I don't understand, honestly!" He exclaims, taking Doyoung by surprise. The eyes of the younger one become a tad wider when he looks up from his steaming verberage. "Everything was cool, it was perfect! He held my hand, took cute pictures of me… I even embarrassed myself thinking how dreamy everything seemed so I had the hope that he… you know?" His voice gets fainter with each word, until he finally whispers "That he liked to spend time with me too"

"Okay, listen, I am confused too but I don't think Ten dislikes being with you"

"But he… he doesn't care enough, right? Those are different things, and I hate to admit it like this, but I want him to care about me, not just… go with it" 

Doyoung crooks his lips, the older knowing he is probably pitying him. 

"It still sounds weird to me" he replies. "Like… remember, Jaehyun said he never does anything on time, maybe he meant it more than we think"

"I wanted to believe that, because Ten is honestly… he takes his time. I was telling myself to wait a bit more, have some perseverance with him and everything but, c'mon, it's been almost two weeks and my patience… is wearing thin. When you have something with someone you usually invite him to go to those things together. What does he have to think so much about?"

"I don't know what to say, Yongie" says Doyoung, earnestly, and this time Taeyong knows for sure that it's pity that his voice gives away. 

The nickname, on top of everything, makes Taeyong discover with disgust that his eyes are becoming glossy. 

"You know what fucks me up the most?" Asks the older, abandoning every attempt of pretending he is still carrying with the decision of being only friends -that fuck- with Ten. "It’s the fact that, last time, he told me to dump the fucking morons that don't care about me for anything that’s not sex"

"Uff…" 

Doyoung looks daggers at the japanese behind the counter as he puffs with Taeyong’s statement. 

"He told you so?" Resumes Doyoung.

Taeyong gives a small nod. "Hmm" 

"You see? It's not like I believe he is indifferent when it comes to you. By all the things I have heard from him he just seems like… a terrible mess" Taeyong chuckles sardonically. The concoction of feelings in his chest makes him do so. "Has he stopped texting or something?"

"Not really. He hasn't been acting differently, but that also gets me. Like what? Have I been tripping this hard to believe he is more into me than I thought, after all? I misjudged him from the start? Like, how long have I been living my own version of stuff?" 

Doyoung shrugs, his face still trying to have the empathy Taeyong needs but not having the needed words to appease him. 

"I don't want to fucking cry for a guy" continues Taeyong, playing with the cream that falls from the cake into the plate. "But I'm hurt, and I feel stupid because I said this wasn't going to happen. It's not like Ten said this was meant to be a bond, so… honestly? how could I be so naive?" 

"Taeyong… don't beat yourself up" says Doyoung reaching out for the designer's hand on top of the table. "Fuckbuddies… is a status that doesn't last long. It can go several ways but… yeah" 

"And what do I do now? Is this the break-up point? Oh my god, please… no, I don’t want to..." 

"If you guys are going different ways with this, Taeyong, maybe y-" 

"You know what would  _ I _ do?" Interrupts Yuta once more, coming through the bakery and seating backwards on the free chair they got pushed to a side. "Better than this killjoy's advice"

"What?" Asks Taeyong, playing along. 

He is not as close with Yuta as he is with Doyoung, but the co-worker of the bakery is kind, and they have known each other for years now, even sharing plans before and going out for some gatherings. 

He surely will have more to say in the relationship field than the other baker, whose love life lately has been only active via dreaming. 

"Because you don't wanna be crying over him, right?"

"No, it's so pathetic..."

"Then I would go to the party anyways"

"What?" 

"You know where and when it is, right?" Asks Yuta to a very baffled Taeyong. "I have been a Ten before, and I tell you that the best thing you could do is rub all that you've got on his face"

"That's-"

"Go there, show up unexpectedly to let him know you know his shit, and go like you haven't even thought about a possible loss. Show him that you know what he has done wrong, go all out with your looks, stunt him" 

"That's more spiteful than I planned to be" tries to argue Taeyong, but he is not as repulsed by the idea as common sense may say. 

"Because you  _ are _ in spite" points out the japanese, and before Taeyong can complain, he rises up a finger and adds "Don't come at me saying you are just pissed or whatever, I've heard your speech and believe me when I say that by the end of this week, if he doesn't ask you to go with him, you are going to be boiling in spite"

"I don't know. A part of me wants to slap him but the other doesn’t want to act this childish and needy" says Taeyong, looking at Doyoung and expecting his friend to throw some light on the matter. "I just want to… date, I guess" 

Doyoung takes a breath in and prepares to say something, but the sentence perplexes Taeyong, nonetheless. 

"Jaehyun invited you, so technically, you are in full right to attend" 

"You are actually invited?" Questions Yuta, seemingly amused. "Then what the fuck are you doubting about? Go slay"

"Seriously?"

"I'm-" Doyoung looks at his mug and then to Taeyong, firmly. "Is not something I will do, personally, but... I'm m going to go to the party, so if you wanna come and talk to him, it'll be cool to have someone I know around"

"You are going to go?" Snorts Taeyong. "Really?"

"Well, yes" he says, eyes diverting from Taeyong's. "Jaehyun invited me, and I don't feel like declining his offer, you know? I was actually going to ask you for some make-up advice"

"By advice you mean that I put the make-up on you, right?"

"I don’t want to look like a fool, you know I can't use it well by myself " 

"You? Make-up?" Inquires Yuta, smiling amused as he discovers this unknown piece of information. "What got into our Doie? Something to share?"

"No, I just… I know everyone is going to put a lot of effort in their looks for that party and I feel like trying it out"

"You are fun now? Taeyong, is this really the Doyoung we know"

"Shut the heck up" he protests, then looks at the designer again. "Only if you want to come, Taeyong. Is just that you would make me a huge favour" 

Taeyong sighs, prompting his forehead on his elbow. 

"I guess I can't say no"

"Yeah, but-"

"No"

Yuta and Doyoung talk at the same time, but they are enough of an answer for the designer. 

"Doesn't Ten like strong thrills?" 

"How do you know that?" Ask Taeyong. "I don't think I told you  _ that _ "

"Jungwoo needed to yell at someone when you told him the secret" shrugs Doyoung. "And since he has been walking a fine line with Johnny, he kept him off the list. But now that we are at it, sex in the restaurant? really?"

"Little punk..." spat Taeyong between his teeth. He can't blame Jungwoo for sharing some hot news with friends but now Doyoung is going to judge him a little. "Yeah, sex at the restaurant, okay? It went down like that

"Yeah, but that's not the point. You didn’t answer my question. Ten and playing strong thrills. He likes that with you, no?"

"He does" sighs the older. "And I do too"

"I don't have a doubt about that" snickers Yuta, stealing a piece of the cake that's left on Taeyong's plate because the frustration made him forget a dessert for once.

"I wouldn’t have had his dick all good at a restaurant if I was any different" he smirked knowingly looking at Yuta, as the bitterness sipped through him.

"That's what I'm saying. I know you have the nerve to do it. Make him regret his choice. If he wants to give advice about who you should dump or not but he is not enough of a man to invite you over a party, I think you are in your right to act up"

"Feisty" mutters Doyoung, yet he hides his smile behind the mug. 

Taeyong is torn by his options. 

He takes a quick look at his phone, checking the notifications. It's not hard to see that under an over polite conversation with a new possible customer, there's the notification with the fire emoji that symbolises Ten. 

[20:21] Ten🔥: you are a bit quiet these days, are you alright? 

Taeyong sighs, setting his mind in a final litmus test. 

[20:26] Babyboy💕: yeah

[20:26] Babyboy💕: a bit saturated, maybe i need a break

[20:26] Babyboy💕: wanna do something this saturday?

He waits for a few moments, the vibration of the phone accompanying the funny noise of the texting app. 

[20:27] Ten🔥: Sorry, I have something that day

[20:27] Ten🔥: can we do it on Friday? 

Taeyong bites his lips, and then releases the pressure with a quiet  _ pop _ that matches the petulancy he is needing to face this, reaching this point. 

What a little liar he has there, uh? Well, he can be petty as well. 

He gives a gesture with his head towards Doyoung. 

"If you want that make-up come to my house with time enough, my look is going to take me awhile"

Yuta nodded, his mouth full of rainbow cake. "He has been unleashed"

*******

It’s barely 9pm when Ten arrives at the front door of Jaehyun’s house, but the faint music can be heard already. 

Ten smiles for himself, shaking his head. 

Despite his broad appearance, Jaehyun is a meek person. Nonetheless, sometimes he makes it close to deserving a police callout, so the model would be satisfied if no one has to explain to Seoul's authorities that they are having an 'inofensive' house party and they would control the volume. 

By the other hand, and unlike many people his age, Jaehyun had decided some time ago that he needed to live in a house instead of an apartment, possibly to fulfill all of his fancy needs for reunions and the ideal family picture he always has in mind for his future. Rent is higher than most flats, he couldn't deny it, but having a successful and established job and controlling his expenses, it worked, to the surprise of the model. 

At least neighbours wouldn’t be knocking on the door with torches tonight. 

He shifts his weight from one leg to the other, waiting for the door to open. It feels a bit strange to attend a party in his friend's house and go empty-handed, but the make-up artist had insisted thoroughly on leaving all the preparations to him. 

The younger lived for the stupid tv programs of cake decorations and party planners, so Ten gives him the pleasute for once and brings only himself. 

Pleasing Jaehyun is not that hard. As a friend, it's not. The only thing that Ten needed to do was put on the shiniest shirt of his personal wardrobe and apply glitter enough on his face to make it look like he is on that Netflix series. 

He is wearing a shiny, violet shirt with black polka dots that clings to his waist perfectly while the top is a bit more loose. The slacks and shoes are black, like the velvet choker around his neck that's paired with a thin crystal choker for the contrast. 

As for the make-up, it's still simple enough to have done it himself without looking like a toddler that has gone wild with their mom's products. The violet of his eyelids blends with a darker purple at the edges, and the glitter on the crease and inner corner of his eyes is light. 

He looks quite good, he is not going to deny it, but it’s kind of irrelevant to him. Is not like no one he cares about is going to be looking at him tonight, anyways. 

After a minute waiting in the lukewarm summer night, the door opens for Ten, letting an excited Jaehyun come from behind it. 

If Ten didn't know the man any better, he would have been struck by the whole view of slick hair, burgundy pants and blazer with no shirt underneath, but he can't see Jaehyun in that sense, so the oxygen remains in his lungs just fine. 

The man also has a red eyeliner in the shape of a thunderbolt horizontally crossing one of his eyes, but the rest of his face up is very natural. 

"Hey, Jaehyun. Someone is on his native make-up madness environment"

"Tennie! Come in" He smiles at Ten, and so does the latter. However, Jaehyun’s sneer is a bit more devilish than he expected. "Coming alone, I see"

Ten rolls his eyes, pushing through the door as if he hasn’t heard the verbal jab from his friend. 

There's already a dozen people scattered across Jaehyun’s living room, chattering and drinking, still calm. 

It's probably not going to last like this a lot longer. 

The thai catches one of the whine cups that are placed on a very neatly ordered table as he moves. 

"As I'm meant to be" 

"Oh, hear that, is biternes sipping through the cracks of your hard skull" continues Jaehyun, following Ten inside his own house."Why are you so obcecated?"

"You are not that great of an example for that matter"

Ten, if bitter, just happens from time to time, but today Jaehyun seems to be pushing the right buttons for the model to get there. 

Sure, he can be a grumpy kid sometimes, but is not the default. A lot of times he is just the bright, happy pill of the fashion team, but when something gets into his head, he holds into the idea way too hard. 

As for instance, that he would spare a man -Taeyong- the tragedy of acting like his boyfriend. A thing that would be quite impossible if he had followed Jaehyun’s advice. 

Ten knows himself well enough to know he would be having too much to back up if he listened to him. 

Jaehyun chuckles as he follows him, drinking wine too, but he must be a couple of glasses ahead of Ten even if he doesn’t look like it.

"Where's Mark?" Ask the older of the pair, resting his butt against a table and picking up one of the small appetisers that are around. Better to eat before the alcohol starts kicking in and everyone loosen up. "Not here yet? He's usually earlier than me" 

"Don't avoid the question"

"Which question?" Says Ten, playing dumb. 

Jaehyun prompts himself with his arms on the table, next to Ten, body swaying almost shyly with the background music that he can recognize as The Weeknd's Party Monster. 

The make-up artist is far less patient than other of his friends, like Mark, but he still has resilience to make his dimples pop out with a cheeky smile. 

"Why alone when you could bring someone?" 

"Being with someone is not all in this life"

"Agree. At some degree..." 

"Don't lecture me" 

"I'm not lecturing you" squeals Jaehyun, greeting Mina, that just arrived, with a head gesture as people are still coming over. "I met Taeyong the other day, you know?" 

Even an idiot would have noticed how Ten's body tenses when Jaehyun says his name, hands clasping on the edge of the table. 

"Yeah, he told me. He told me that you submitted the application together too. Thank you for giving him a hand, he is a great designer… he deserves it"

"My pleasure. It’s a cooperative job, after all, I'm winning with the deal and I bet he is going to get it accepted" he says lightly, sipping from his cup. Then, he leans back a little, looking directly at Ten, who still pretends he is not seeing anything. "But I wasn’t going there"

"I know, but let's just-"

"He is very… interesting. And handsome" 

"I know. Both things" 

"Cute"

"Very" 

"I thought you would-"

"Bring him, yeah. No" 

"What's wrong with you?" Finally exhales Jaehyun, losing his temper. "You can't even shut up about him, in the last couple of months I have heard you talk more about him than I hear about your day. Taeyong is so cute, Taeyong's laugh is the best. Taeyong this, Taeyong that…" 

"Precisely"

"Oh, I see, acting like the Ice Queen you think you are? Look at yourself, playing the 'i can cope without it' game and ruining shit for yourself" 

"Cheers!" Ten ironically hollers, proceeding to drink up the rest of the glass and almost smash it back onto the table, flipping the loose, jet black strands of hair that fall onto his vision field. "Now that we are clear, can we party or not?" 

“Yeah, sure, but it’s a pity” users Jaehyun, bringing the glass to his lips to get a long sip to his cold drink with the careless gesture of only someone whose alcohol tolerance would lift the roof. "That you are more loyal to your self-sabotage than to anything else" 

"Not your problem"

"No, it's not" Ten darts a dark glance at the make-up artist, knowing that his cocky tone is nothing to downplay. “But since I knew you would be acting like an absolute fool, I invited him myself”

“You didn’t” growls Ten, waiting for his friend to change the annoying grin of his face and say he is joking. “You didn’t!”

“But I did!” cheerfully confirms the younger, throwing an arm around Ten's shoulder. “And his friend too. You know? Doyoung? He is so fucking cute. Cute and stuff. Playboy bunny kinda cute”

“Jaehyun!” he protests, wiggling out of the hold and slapping his friend's arm away. 

“What? I have my rights too”

“I don’t give a damn if you wanna fuck his friend"

"I didn’t-"

"I mean, in which position do you think this leaves me!? With him!?” he complains, truthfully offended and not without a reason. “You don’t even know Taeyong, how did you think he would feel!? He is going to think that I don't want him around me!”

“So you want him around you, don’t you? Assume that, man, embrace the fact and act like it”

“It’s not that easy” Ten lets a sigh out, leaning on the cold wall and about to have a break down, if he is not already there. He rushes himself to take another long sip from his glass but it's obviously empty, closing his eyes and burning his face on his palm. The sound of his whine comes out muffled when he speaks to the make-up artist. “Fuck, fuck,  _ fuck _ , I knew he was acting off"

"Whose fault is that?"

"Fucking yours, the fuck?"

"Yours! For not asking him to come as you fucking should, Ten, you are dying to-"

"I had a very good reason to not ask him to come"

"You didn’t"

"I did, and I still do"

"Ten, listen, you gotta stop fronting" 

"I'm in no way fronting" seethes the older, gesturing so hard at Jaehyun that it could have passed as a slap on the face if he didn't know Ten's not that sour. "It’s just… a big deal"

"What is?"

"Me"

"Here we go again" says Jaehyun, rolling his eyes. 

"Baring with me is a big deal"

"Just from how annoying you are, not because of what you think"

Ten knows how tired his friend is about this conversation where he keeps reassuring him and his sweet, old trouble; yet some preoccupations are hard to get rid of. 

"The babe puts up with you and you think he can't deal with a bit of online backlash? He is a tough cookie" 

"First off, don't call him babe" he warns, lifting one finger to make his point come out with more force, but his mood drops as he goes. "Shit, Jaehyun, he must hate me now”

"Exactly because you get like this just by thinking that he can be resentful you should realize you don’t really want to push him away. You think you could deal with him walking away if you can't even think about him being pissed?" 

"That's why it's better to cut it out now before it roots."

"You are not an icicle, Ten, you are meant to melt some day" 

Ten diverts his eyes from the make-up artist, ignoring his words completely, as he doesn't want to keep this conversation going. 

He can't admit defeat too well. 

However, the trajectory of his gaze accidentally takes him to the door, and just with a single second of the view given by Taeyong standing there, he knows that he is totally screwed. 

Meant to melt. 

*******

"Are you sure that I don't look stupid?" Questions Doyoung for the tenth time today, eliciting a roll from Taeyong's eyes. 

He understands that his friend is not used to wear make-up at all, and less so when the look is not natural, but Taeyong wishes he would stop asking since Doyoung was the one to show him a photo he found online and they both had to perform maneuvers at his bathroom to achieve the double, bi-color eyeliner. 

His state of mind didn't help, either. 

Yuta had been right, and by the end of the week, Taeyong realized he was pretty pissed off. 

Ten had had the audacity of acting like everything kept moving, going on like a ferris wheel. He hadn’t stopped texting Taeyong for a moment, telling him the random things about his day, but Taeyong had been growing unresponsive with the conversation. 

Probably because he was waiting for something very specific to be said instead of the observations about new flowers blooming in Ten's way home during a late spring. 

He had been acting childish, just as he himself said that he didn't want to be, but he couldn't help it anymore. 

The questions were pooling in his stomach, wondering what he did to screw something up with the model if everything seemed so cool when they went out, and they touched and… all. 

He waited until the very same Friday to see if Ten said something in the last moment, but no. 

Nothing. 

Of course, Taeyong had declined the offer of hanging out together on Friday, brushing Ten off with the excuse of being too busy with work, which was a lie because after the commissions, he had been back at his mother's store and the new shift had let him with half of the day empty until someone new requested his services. 

If he wants to play the 'who's more stubborn' game, Taeyong is going to play it too. 

He is an expert in playing games with Ten. 

"You look great, Doie, stop it" 

"I'm sorry. You are a natural of these things, but this is my first time" 

"It’s make-up, you only have to wear it, not make a revolutionary performance on it, don't put too much pressure on yourself" 

"So I don't look stupid, then?

Taeyong sucks up the air and then chuckles. "Not more than you always do, but I can't fix that with concealer"

The whine of his friend amuses him, tension easing up as he finally gave a push to the front door of the house where Naver had driven them to.

They are greeted by a short, humble foyer where coats and bags have already started piling, but since they had left theirs at Doyoung’s car, they cross it freely, following the music to the next room.

Then there's when the shock comes. 

Definitely, Jaehyun likes to go all out when he does something.

The light is dim, and almost all the width of the living room -where furniture has been pushed against the walls to leave a considerably big space for guests- is tinted by the purplish color of smart lights. 

However, there’s also a gentler luminity from the fairy lights that hang from the ceiling. 

There's a table with some food, they assume by the look of the snacks that they come from a catering company. And, of course, drinks. 

Further into the room, there's a second table that has the widest range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic party choices for every type of drinker. 

"What the fuck?" Says Doyoung, stunned by his friend's side. "What goes on in this man's head?" 

"Jaehyun? That he is meticulous, you can't deny..." 

"Sure enough" 

"Hey, Taeyong, hi" 

The designer turns around to face the young man that greets him, quickly recognizing his big eyes and his cheerful tone. 

"Mark, hello, how are you?" 

"Cool, cool. I didn’t know you were coming. First time at a Jaehyun party, right?" 

"Yeah… Here I am"

"Well, gear up, I guess" he advises with a gentle smile.

He is so easygoing that Taeyong finds himself chuckling, and Doyoung by his side also smiles at the younger. 

"Are they always that crazy?" 

"Yes and no. It's not the kind of party where someone throws a microwave through the window, don't get scared, but there's always something memorable" 

"I sure hope so, Mark" he says, tone dropping as he spots Ten across the room from over Mark's shoulder. "I suuuure hope so"

The model is leaning on a table, with an empty glass on his hand and looking back at him. 

He knows those eyes, dark, dangerous and full of wanton… maybe even regretful; so he tries not to smile pleased right away to make clear what he has come to do in that house. 

The damned man looks amazing, even more than Taeyong expected, and the fact that he was supposed to miss such a view is even more infuriating. 

Shit, he would like to undo all of that carefully well put outfit with his own two hands, but he has promised himself that he is not bending for Ten tonight. 

Not until he apologizes like he should. 

The tailor holds Ten’s gaze for a couple of seconds more to let him know he is aware of his presence, and then looks back at Mark with an unchangeable expression. 

"This is my friend Kim Doyoung"

"Nice to meet you" continues Mark, either unaffected by the ongoing situation or, as Taeyong supposes, unaware. He shakes Doyoung’s hand without a problem. 

"Me too"

"I am Mark Lee, personal assistant"

"For who?"

"For Ten" solves Taeyong quickly.

Doyoung nods his head, as if processing the new intel. 

"I didn’t know Ten has a personal assistant, how fancy" 

"Well, he needs someone to remind him where he puts his mind, sometimes" explains the younger. "He is hardworking as they come, but just as clumsy" 

"Somehow I can tell that much" scoffs Doyoung. "And I don't even personally know him yet" 

"Yeah… he is like that, but today I'm here in the quality of guest" explains Mark, lifting his cup. "And I'm drinking, so I'm not taking any car house tonight, I'm telling you in advance" 

"I'm not asking what the track record is" says Doyoung. "Or why"

However, Taeyong shakes his head, ignoring his friend. 

"That’s not happening tonight, Mark, you can be sure" 

"Bottoms up, then!" He says happily. 

Taeyong doesn't have a glass with him yet, nor Doyoung, they arrived ten minutes ago, but Mark is so cute and cheerful that they both play along with him and cheer the young man up as he finishes his drink. 

He has barely seen Mark a couple of times and he already has a soft spot for him. 

"Now, I gotta go and meet someone. Have fun, Taeyong… and Doyoung too, of course" 

"Well, it’s about to go down" murmurs Doyoung as his personal farewell, watching the couple of other men that’s finally approaching them. "Mother of god"

"Hey, Taeyong, you came!" Literally yells Jaehyun, throwing an arm over the smaller man to give him a few pats on his back and going ahead of Ten, who silently approaches the group with slower strides. 

Taeyong can't even believe he has the nerve of actually coming to greet him just like nothing happened at all, so his determination to make Ten regret his life choices shoots out through the roof. 

He ignores him and his dark eyes settle on him to smile at Jaehyun and Jaehyun only. 

"How could I miss it? You invited me, hence I came, that’s how it works" 

It's difficult to hear it upon the music, but Doyoung puffs impressed. Well, he is not that surprised, he knows Taeyong for years, and maybe he doesn’t especially like confrontation, but it doesn’t mean that he can't drop direct bombs like that. 

It's been a while since Doyoung is not present in one of Taeyong’s special disses towards boys, but his attention is attracted by Jaehyun's chuckle under his breath, the sound sweet and distracting. 

"It’s simple, I agree. But some don't" he cooes, knowingly. Next, he looks at the baker, the corners of his lips curling up higher. "And you came too, Doyoung"

"Yes" nods the aforesaid man. "Nice house, by the way. And nice party. The house parties I have been before were pretty much drunk college students and a wrecked dorm, but this one is another whole thing" 

"I'm a man of word" giggles the taller, sipping more red wine from his glass as Doyoung watches the way his throat bobs with a bit too much attention. "You look quite good with that look, first time with makeup?" 

"Theoretically no. I'm Taeyong’s friend so I have gone through some stuff, but I never wear bold looks like this. I guess you took away my dramatic makeup virginity away" 

Taeyong wants to gag, but Jaehyun seems to be as amused as Doyoung was trying to make him, grinning brightly. 

"My pleasure. So, Doyoung..." begins the party's host stealing a look from his friend, stopped a few inches behind him and unable to divert his eyes from the designer that, for the other hand, doesn't spare him a single stare. "I see you have both hands free, do you fancy a drink? Before this becomes a war… we should head out of here, I don’t know if you know what I mean" 

"Sure. You are the host, so I'm playing along" 

"Follow me, then. This way" 

It's not a surprise for Taeyong to be ambushed like this, he has come somewhat ready for it. 

He watches Doyoung follow after Jaehyun as the make-up artist requested, and they start mixing with the other guest, walking further into the room until they disappear behind the bodies on their way to the drinks table. 

Finally, he gives a brief glance to the model and then turns on his heels, pretending he is on his way to find himself something fun to do. 

His entertainment, however, is in the sound of Ten’s rushed return to motion behind him. 

"Good evening, Taeyong"

"Hey" he replies, dry. 

Jaehyun must have arrived wherever his phone was, because the playlist jumps to a sexy latin song that makes Taeyong smile for himself. 

He is unaware of when he has forged an alliance with the make-up artist to piss Ten off, but he is enjoying the mood so far. 

"You look stunning" he cuts through, so the older one stops and turns around again to face Ten, who stops just a few inches away from him. "You're glowing" 

It couldn't be any other way if they wanted to hear each other over the music and the chatter of guests. 

Thanks to the proximity, Taeyong can see Ten’s eyes drop to the open collar and follow the way down with the golden body chain that disappears behind the white tulle of Taeyong’s crossed blouse and that draws hidden patterns under the clothes with a cold kiss. 

"Tell me something I don't know" 

Taeyong, not even sorry by his answer, rejoices with the little scrunch of Ten’s nose, trying to conceal he might start being as pissed as the designer came. 

He spent many hours planning his outfit to elicit that reaction from the model, it’s his fault that Taeyong’s willingness to allow Ten to have fun with it switched. 

"Not even a thank you, wow. Didn’t expect you to be so vengeful"

"You said you liked surprises, so I bet you can handle it" 

"Are you playing with me, Lee Taeyong?" 

"I'm having my fun watching you looking at me like that, can't say I'm not" 

"Very funny" he says with his voice flat. "Why are you doing this?" 

Taeyong can't help but sigh this time, the mask of petulancy showing a slight crack. He is not supposed to go there and throw up all the speech about how hurt he is. 

The older turns around again, ready to leave to the very needed drink table to have himself some spirit. 

He doesn't go further than a couple steps ahead before Ten grabs his wrist and pulls him back to him, his chest flushing against his own. 

"Don't do this" 

Taeyong’s lashes fall a bit, and his big eyes raise to the model, dazzling him with just a stroke, he can see it in the way Ten’s jaw clenches. 

"Try that with a 'please' next time" whispers the older, trying to make his voice sound honeyd and unbothered for major injury. "Make it sound convincing"

It does the trick, but not in the way he was expecting.

As Ten shortens the distance between them to lace his arms around him and join his fronts together, Taeyong can appreciate the glittery glow on his eyelids better, and the alluring accent of the crystal choker that wraps around his neck makes him want to give all up, bury his face on his neck and kiss his skin slowly. 

Somehow, he didn’t count with Ten counter attacking his evil plan with the same technique. That makes his conviction waiver, he is not good at resisting Ten when he is close, and lately, his resistance has decreased due to the new feelings arising in his chest.

His smell is too strong, but addicting as well. His hands on his body through the clothes make him anticipate and want more, and the warmth of his skin makes him want to go crazy. 

He is so attractive that everything else starts losing interest as soon as he arrives.

"Mad at me, aren't you?" He asks, softly pulling one of Taeyong's loose strands of long hair behind his ear. They are soft, and styled with smooth waves tonight, framing his face and preciously complementing the shine of the rhinestones provided by Jaehyun and glued under his eyes. "If you wanted to punish me with the teasing, you are on the right track"

"Good, then you understand…" purs Taeyong, making the effort of holding Ten's hands down to free himself. "...that this is how far you are going with me, sweetie" 

Ten cocks an arrogant eyebrow, but Taeyong is not intimidated now, finally turning around for the last time to let him behind, standing alone in the middle of the living room. 

As the designer slips out of his hold and finally arrives at the table, he tastes the satisfaction on his tongue. 

Maybe he is not allowed into Ten’s world as much as he wanted to, but after rounds and rounds with the model, he has learned how to read frustration in his eyes, and he has seen it bloom there tonight for sure. 

Harder than ever.

He fetches a caramel cherry from a bowl and chews on it while he proceeds to fill a glass with cider to forget that this is going to be quite hard for him too. 

"He mentioned you are a bit feisty, but I bet he didn't see that one coming" says Jaehyun from the other side of the table. Taeyong hadn't noticed him there before, but he smiles anyway. "I didn’t think it either"

"Feisty... He's not less of it" 

"I know" nods Jaehyun "But I know him for years now, and I know it's all pretending. Inside, he is just…"

"Tender" completes Taeyong, knowing well where this is going. If only he could say he doesn't know, it would be easier, but instead he is all dressed up and playing skittish. "You either die from the sugar or for the acid, he is risky in every way you take him. Where is Doyoung?" 

"I just let him go to the upper floor, the toilet down here is busy" he shorts out, easily going back to the avoided topic. "You have your research done, uh? About Ten" 

Jaehyun walks around the table, approaching Taeyong and settling close to him, closer than needed, probably in his own personal way to aid the older with the excruciating teasing to the model, as he still looks his way from where Taeyong left him. 

He bunches up with the make-up artist, exchanging a conspiratorial glance. 

"I know this is childish" he confesses. "We are not supposed to be anything, I don’t have the right to be mad at him, but look at what we came. Here acting like his petty bitch" 

"It works him up, tho" chuckles Jaehyun darkly, doing a small gesture with his head towards the place where Ten is. "Maybe not everything is as set in stone as you think"

"It takes two" 

"And you think he is not willing?"

"I don't know? Is he? He doesn't seem too enthusiastic"

"Are you joking? Look at him, I'm going to need to mop the floor if he keeps drooling like that"

That finally makes Taeyong laugh, picking another caramel cherry and popping it on his mouth, the stem out for him to curl it around his finger and pull it out. 

He knows he is putting up a little show, but since it works, he can't even be ashamed. 

"I honestly didn't expect it to work this easily" 

"Well, as much as he would like to pretend he does, he doesn’t make decisions with his brain" 

"I don't think he makes all the decisions with his dick, tho" 

Jaehyun almost spits the drink he is having with laughter, rushing to swallow, put the cup away and shake his head. 

"I didn't mean that" 

The older one gives him a questioning look then, blushing a little. 

"From there". Jaehyun gently pats the left side of his lapel as an answer. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'm gonna go find your friend" Taeyong notices the small shift in Jaehyun’s tone. "I don't want him to get lost up there and miss the fun. If you wanna keep exasperating Ten, I think Mark is dancing near the kitchen's door" 

"I wouldn't want to get Mark in this mess" chuckles Taeyong.

Jaehyun laughs along. "He is the best person ever, but… he is straight. Poor thing doesn't have the fault, he was born this way"

The joke makes Taeyong laugh too. 

"I don't want to make him uncomfortable, so I'll stay here"

"You don't need a lot to make this game work for Ten, and I mean that. I promise you he is giving you eyes that I've never seen in him" comments the host, looking over Taeyong’s shoulder and beyond the people to spot Ten filling up his glass by himself and still stealing looks on Taeyong’s way. Jaehyun sure feels some pity for his friend, knowing that he could spend the entire night sighing and staring at the model in silence, but Ten needs the rough edge sometimes. "But if you want a harder push for him, I can help" 

Taeyong looks at Jaehyun, intrigued. Something in his expression gives him a clue of something questionable coming up.

Nonetheless, the entire night is already questionable. 

"How?"

Jaehyun lifts a corner of his mouth. He is so gentle and meek that Taeyong can comprehend what makes him so looked on by his friend, with a charming spark on his eyes that gives away a secret, blazing determination. 

The feel of his frame leaning on his, as his arm wrapped around his waist for a second, seems like a weird hallucination. Jaehyun pulls him in, claiming his mouth for a moment of alliance long enough to make Ten get the clue in the distance. 

Jaehyun's idea is not bad, Taeyong can't pretend he is not straight up attempting to exasperate Ten but he needs something a bit stronger than moving his body a little too close to Ten’s list of friends.

Still, he can't do this. He is being pricked inside by a strong bullet of guilt, and regardless of his acknowledgement of Jaehyun’s sweet subtlety, it doesn't feel right. Kissing someone that's not Ten doesn't feel right anymore, even when they are nothing serious. 

His lips don't belong to anyone else that's not Ten, and that's so  _ fucking scary _ at the moment, but it's true.

And besides, there's Doyoung. God, Doyoung. If he walks down and sees this he is not going to leave the bakery in a thousand years. 

All these thoughts cross Taeyong’s brain in a flash as Jaehyun’s lips caress him with a silky touch. 

He has to push Jaehyun away, and he does. 

"Wait, no. No. I can't take it that far," Taeyong says firmly. They look at each other for a second, suddenly busting a quiet, awkward laugh together. "I can manage by myself, I don’t… this is not the way I want to do it"

The make-up artists nod, still smiling. Mark stated only facts about memorable events going down in Jaehyun’s house because, in an hour, Taeyong already feels like he is not going to get out of this one alive. 

"You are right. That's what I thought… you also can't watch him walk away" 

Taeyong sucks his lip in his mouth, looking at Ten in the distance. A lot has changed in the stare they hold for a second before it breaks, the eyes of both throwing sparkles of sadness and… yearning.

He shakes his head. "No, I can’t".

Then they laugh again, a bit more bitterly. 

"Excuse me" says Jaehyun. "I had some pressed up impulses right there too, I shouldn't let them go with you. I know it's not an excuse but…"

"It’s okay, thanks for the help tho"

"He is going to murder me, you know?" 

"I hope so" chuckles Taeyong, enjoying the light hearted mood. "It would mean that he cares at least a bit" 

"Of course he cares, just give him a while. Good luck, champion" he says, leaving his empty glass of wine aside and brushing his hair back to place. "I'm going to find Doyoung now. Kick some sense in my friend and don't be scared to give him a bit of trouble, he likes you more than he says" 

Taeyong gives him a head gesture and lets him go after Doyoung again. With luck, they would know how to short out things better than him and Ten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One week more I want to thank you all for reading this and comment with yout thoughs and hype, it really make my days to see you guys so invested and I never ever had so much feedback for one fanfic. Thus, I hope you don't kill me for this episode hehehe... 
> 
> I also wanted to announce that I have a Kofi (that i can't link here because of ao3 rules) and if any of you have thought about supporting me in that way, it's linked on my twitter bio! If not, then it's okay and I appreciate you just as much :)
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)   
> 


	20. Caramel cherries

He doesn’t move from the place he is using on the table of drinks, getting his butt up to sit, crossing his legs and catching the glimpse of the model coming back at him from the corner of his eye. 

Taeyong knows quite well what he has done, knowing that going back is not an option and assuming his part of the fault, but it’s not a night to back up the determination. He’ll say sorry to Doyoung for taking a little moment from his crush tomorrow. 

He is all in now. He has to be if he has started playing this game. 

Until Ten can dodge all the people currently vibing across Jaehyun’s livingroom and arrive at the table, he doesn’t spare him a look for good Ten looks tonight, taking another cherry to his lips to bite on the sweet treat. 

However, the feeling of a slight tug from the steam makes him turn to Ten, who's the one that takes the caramel coated fruit. It pops out, slipping from Taeyong’s lips with the sweet flavour that has melted on them, and he doesn't have the time to complain before Ten takes the big bite himself. 

Taeyong’s eyelids drop, and so does a bubble of yearning that arrives at his stomach and bursts there. Through his thick lashes he can see the model smirking, and so his lips part with a shaky breath that has nothing to do with his previous goal. 

But he can’t let him win so easily. 

The thai comes closer to him, and Taeyong knows he is about to lose when he feels his lips lingering over his cheek and ear. 

"Since this is being so fun for you, shall I play too?"

He doesn't want to stay quiet, but there's nothing good he can say no if not a heartfelt 'yes' so he moves his leg up between them, planting the sole of his brand shoe on Ten’s hip and pushing the model back with a fun smile. He is pretending he is unbothered, and although Ten makes it difficult, the blast of satisfaction that borns from rejecting someone like him in a situation like this really helps him get there. 

"Do whatever you want" he signs, picking another cherry, since he wasn't able to eat the previous one. He licks it up without letting Ten’s eyes go nor letting his foot take down the barrier between their bodies. "But don't bother me"

Ten makes a move to take that one as well, but Taeyong dodges him with a playful smirk, clicking his tongue and shaking his head no. 

"Taeyong" he calls, still with a warning tone. Nonetheless, the resolvenes is bending under a different accent that makes Taeyong remain strong and square his shoulders. 

He sticks the tip of his tongue out and slowly pulls it closer to the fruit, licking a small wet stripe on the surface to then slip it between his parted lips. It burst in his mouth with the extra bliss of watching Ten grow weaker in front of him. 

"Uh? What is it?"

"Stop doing _that_ , _please"_

"Oh" sighs Taeyong, deeply pleased. He is getting high on the exquisite taste of Ten's pleading for some mercy as if he is not just as cruel or even more when the tables turn."What? Am I doing something?"

"You know what you are doing"

"Yes, I do" he replies, tilting his chin higher and unapologetic and letting his foot drop finally just to adopt a defiant pose on the table, leaning back with his knees apart. As if natural but just right to keep the match going. "I didn’t tell you to stay and watch, it's you who's insisting in following me around, sticking to my ass and all of that" 

"What do you want me to do? _Ignore_ you?" 

"Well, you were into that all this time, no? You are good at it if you want to keep exercising" 

Ten seems to let out an incredulous wisp of air out, hearing Taeyong spill some true and fair accusations. 

"This is ridiculous" he grumbles "What are we? Kids?" 

"You think I wouldn't like to have someone mature to hold on?" Chimes Taeyong in response, getting off the table and stepping closer to the model. He is glad that the upbeat RnB is blasting from wherever the speakers are, because they are clearly about to fight and the poor guests of Jaehyun’s party don't deserve the killjoy of a stupid model playing around with his fuckbuddy. "'Cause I would, and that’s why I went on and chose _you,_ of all people. You thought it was because you're a model? I chose to hang out with you, I chose to take time with someone who didn't toss me around for a quickie. And then you swerve to the right and do this shit. You didn't even bother to say the truth to me and acted like you were busy with just whatever fucking excuse you were planning to use with me. As if I'm here just because I'm pretty and you didn't say just a week ago that I should dump the pervs that don't care about my day. Well, hear me out, Ten Lee, I'm not a flower vase" 

"What?" Blurts out Ten, completely assailed by the speech, his brows knitting. "I meant that when I said it, do you think tonight changes everything I have said or done to you before? Because I didn't tell you to come?"

"And how do you want me to react? If you have someone you care for… you think about them with this shit comes, but you didn’t and this is making me go crazy" 

He can't even say Ten doesn’t look his absolute best, all dressed-up under the fairy lights of Jaehyun’s living room; he can't even say the anger in his blood is not mixing with the magnetism, but he can’t help but to spill out all the nonsense in his mind and hate Ten’s stupid intermittency between two different sides.

"Why?" He asks again, still frowning at Taeyong, whose stare at the model says all and nothing at the same time. 

Tonight, he craves him and he doesn’t, joining Ten in the dual moods bandwagon. It's hard to just ditch the things Taeyong feels for him. 

Despite Jaehyun's playlist going on in the background, Taeyong feels like he is submerging in a heavy silence. One full of the tiniest gestures exchanged between him and Ten. Those things are the ones that make the hairs at his nape curl, things like realising right now that he can understand the model just with a look. 

He hates that they are at this instead of all over each other in the nearest corner of this house, but he is not a pushover and he will stand for himself. 

"It’s been long enough since I'm not only the model of the interviews, right? You can tell me what goes on in that brain"

"Because all of this" sighs Taeyong, gesturing all around them. "The luxury, the things Doyoung thinks, the things Jaehyun said, the things Mark expects…"

"And why is that so important, is Jaehyun the certified matchmaker now?" Complains Ten. "He thinks he lives in a full Disney Channel movie, but that's not it" 

Before Taeyong can make another move, perhaps to step back, Ten holds his hand again. The happy energy of the museum has died to leave room for the sweet yet unyielding hold. Taeyong lets him pull him closer in silence, attentively enjoying the view like a very guilty pleasure.

Ten's hair is already growing longer than it’s supposed to be, and the bleached parts are gone to leave the jet black alone. 

And his eyes, Taeyong had liked them the best out of him from the beginning. 

"No, I can manage myself alone but when it comes to you..." he says, feeling the thrill of Ten sliding his warm, free hand down, to the small of his back. Taeyong guides his arm behind himself and holds it there before he lets it fall lower. "...I need more than just myself because I'm lost. Because what the fuck are we? Spicy or sweet, pick a flavour Ten, really. Whatever you want, but two is too much for me" 

"Wanna hear what I want?"

Taeyong scoffs. "Tell me you don't think that's going to work with me, Chittaphon" 

Ten makes his eyebrows lift, surprised with the mention of his thai name out of a sudden, yet the tint of amusement mixes in his irises and, just by that, Taeyong knows he has taken his words as a challenge. 

"So you don't wanna know?"

"You are so utterly cocky" he scowls with an airy laugh that lingers over Ten’s lips. "Shut the fuck up already, you are pissing me off"

Betraying his entire plan and overtaking Ten’s expectations, Taeyong hooks his fingers on his double choker just when he finishes his sentence, pulling Ten into a rough, passionate kiss that explodes on their mouths with the fresh apple taste of the cider and the sweetness of the caramel cherries. 

He gets goosebumps from the wet sound of their lips gliding together and their tongues tangling, the music not loud enough to conceal the muffled purr of shock coming from Ten, against his lips. 

Hastily, the younger pulls from Taeyong’s hips and grounds him against his, so the older doesn't fall behind and feels Ten’s side downwards, resting on the round and fleshy butt of the younger while he tries to balance the cup of cider on his other hand without spilling anything in his brand new blouse. 

Taeyong kisses him, and nothing can't stop him now that he has started. 

He feels the pulse tapping under the curve of Ten’s neck and the rise and fall of his chest pushing against his. There's the pace of desperation, flowing hot from him and melting Taeyong down. 

He is changing directions with his game, but he is not forgetting the mood in which he arrived.

He comprehends suddenly, why Ten is always bothering him and taking him to the edge. If he can feel the torrid gush of neediness as it consumes the model and transfer to him. His body is lighting up, a wisp of pure fire raising up. 

Ten takes a sharp breath in when they part, covered by the loud music, needing the oxygen back. 

"Fuck…"

"I was about to say that you are not gonna have it, but fuck all of that" 

"Don't you dare leave me like this" 

His lips are scorching when they make time excruciating and slow, procrastinating over Taeyong’s neck, barely touching the skin under the gold chain that adorns his body. 

“You were so much prettier when you were quiet”

"Really? So can I say what I wanted or not?" breathes out the model. “Or you really don’t wanna know?”

"Surprise me" cooes Taeyong, lacing his fingers behind Ten’s neck and almost shyly swaying his hips against the model’s, deliberately brushing their bodies together with the music. It was not bashfulness that makes him do it like that, only the playfulness of getting Ten’s eyebrows to knit when he doesn’t get things straight away. He is as selfish as Taeyong or more, he just doesn’t flaunt it with all the boldness Taeyong does. "You were going to say it's me, right? So cliché, baby. But okay, even you lose your wit sometimes"

"If you knew how you look to me right now, you'd understand the lack of words. I just want to keep doing this for a little longer"

"After all, I can't say that's not what I want too. That’s why you got me bothered as fuck" 

"So honest. Are you done teasing me now? Can we get to the you and I part?" 

"I'll tell you when we are alone… too many people around to tease you in the way I like. It’s only funny if you moan for real, I don’t buy it if not" 

"I can fix that"

"Show me how you do it, then. If you are so determined about convincing me"

Ten chuckles darkly, pushing the older through the mass of people that have already started dancing much more carelessness. 

Taeyong wonders where did Jaehyun meet all the people that's in the living room and what are the terms of minimum friendship to be invited to that increasing madness of neon lights that flash in front of his eyes while his swift feet follow Ten upstairs. 

He wants to think that he has enough confidence with Jaehyun to be allowed to do that without problems.

He doesn’t really know where he is going until he enters the room and Ten closes the door behind them, blocking most part of the noise that comes from the lower floor. 

In the new room, Taeyong finds himself in between gentle, white walls. There are a few beautiful art prints framed on them too, some of them consisting of very aesthetically pleasing shots that only a professional photographer could have taken. The tones that barely splash the space are gentle and muted and the bed is perfectly neat. 

Taeyong lets his glass rest on the first table he sees, this being a black ikea desk with a mirror and a messy box of makeup supplies that scatter across the surface. 

"Is this Jaehyun’s bedr-"

His own gasp interrupts him when Ten pushes from his hand and makes him turn around, pressing their bodies together and rolling his hips against the designer. 

"Now say, are you still going to tease me?" 

His lips mold against Taeyong’s own, melting over them like chocolate on a marshmallow and almost preventing him from answering the question.

"Just the right amount" he mewls, while the model rolls down with his lips to his collarbones, kissing him delicately a few times until all they do is provoking Taeyong to shudder, and then moving on to suck the flesh carefully.

His thin fingers creep under the light material of Taeyong’s blouse, lifting it up just a bit to knead his body with his hands. 

"What does that mean?"

Taeyong feels the tingles attack him in the worst places, for Ten’s hands haven't stopped yet and the pleasant pressure on his muscles makes him more than keen. 

"Just enough to make you do me fast and hard on this bed, how mad should I get you for you to be really thorough and honest?" 

Even the purr of Ten’s quiet giggle vibrating against his throat makes him shudder between the wall and his body. He doesn't know when he let Ten push him against the wall, but he doesn't care. 

"No need for that, I'll do it just like you want… only need to tell me what that is" Taeyong swallows air, his eyes shutting tightly when Ten bends his knees and flops on the wooden floor. "Come on, Yongie, you say what you want" he says, his breath agitated too and his voice soft like velvet.

The name sinks in Taeyong like venom and makes his head dizzy. 

The younger is planting kisses on his flat, pristine stomach, sucking the supple flesh right above his waistband to leave a mark just in case anyone else tried to take a look at it, they could see it belongs to Ten. 

Taeyong himself is choking on his lust, dragging his nails through the model's scalp and fisting a handful of his hair to push him down. 

"Blow me" mewls Taeyong, his back dripping against the wall and his thumb pushing down to Ten’s lips. He gets it to pass through them and presses his tongue down with a surprisingly compliant Ten who lets him do his thing. "Your lips, I want them around me" 

"You would love that, wouldn't you?"

"Yes" he gets to say through laboured breathing, eyes unable to part from the indescriptible view of Ten licking his finger up without complaints. "I would love that. I want to scream your name, babe, make me do it loudly, I know you adore when you make me do it" 

"What if we get caught?" Cooes Ten, gently. "There's _many_ people waiting for that to happen, headlines like that make a lot of money"

That adds to the fire in a way the tailor is ashamed to admit.

"Then I'll be good and moan just for you" 

"You for real?" Asks Ten, caressing Taeyong's sides under his palms, moving up the material of his top and exposing the golden shine of the body chain wrapping around his hips, as well as around his ribs in a second ring. 

He is angelic to Ten’s eyes, but also as sinful as they come. 

Taeyong nods, getting a bit caught when Ten laps his tongue on an exposed nipple just before one of his skillful hands pulls the flowy shirt over his head, exposing the secret look of sinful angel wrapped in gold that he had going on under the clothes. 

Ten drinks the view just like he was supposed to, fingers tracing the chains carefully as hisbeyes turn into the pure adoration Taeyong needs to get high. The pearls shine against the velvety skin of his cleavage, and the metal kisses him coldly, making him look just like the thing a Barroque artist would paint before getting censured and burnt at the stake.

The older mewls with the run of Ten's wet tongue on the hard bud, making it difficult to keep his shaken breaths inside. He bites his lips hard enough to be silent, his eyes shutting hard as well with the unmerciful trip of Ten’s soft lips down to the waistband of his pants.

“You can’t do that” 

The older trembles, feeling more sensitive now that the shirt is not on the way to prevent him from the sparkles of Ten’s attention falling over him. 

In fact, the model takes a moment away from what he is doing and gets rid of his own shirt, tossing it over Jaehyun’s desk without a care in the world. 

His eyes soon return to Taeyong’s half-melt figure leaning against the wall. 

"I bet you can't be quiet if I'm on my knees"

"I can tr-"

"But that's perfect" cuts out Ten, his nail tracing the line of gold towards his stomach, down to the fly on the tent of his trousers, popping the buttons open. "After the act of spite you put down there you deserve a bit of the sharp edge, don't you?" 

A humming sound is the only thing that leaves Taeyong, letting Ten pull both his pants and underwear down, the fullness of his dick springing free in front of the model’s face. 

Taeyong blinks in the semi-darkness of the room, not wanting to close his eyes to this new and marvelous view of the model. 

His face is bright red, but there's no shame with the first muffled whimper that comes out when Ten puts his lips around him and sucks on his flesh, first gently and jerking the rest of it with his hand, and then on the whole shaft when he tastes the saltiness on his tongue after a few times pleasing him. 

"Ten"

Their eyes lock on each other's, as Ten looks at him and keeps sucking on his dick. The whip of wicked feelings for the scene adds up to the pleasure Taeyong is receiving under the attentive gaze through the model's lashes.

"Oh my god, that's righ... make me come with your tongue, baby" he purrs enthusiastically, forgetting whatever he said about keeping it low, hands fisting his hair and hips twitching to trust deeper.

His keenness makes Ten quicken the speed, bobbing his head faster than Taeyong expected, brushing the tip with his tongue and using his hand to squeeze his tight balls and make him leak. Taeyong’s back keeps arching for Ten, who's obviously enjoying what he is doing to him, dark orbs peeping at his face growing disheveled through the fan of his lashes. 

Without giving it a thought, he pulled back, letting the cock slip out of his lips on the cold air to hold the older’s hips down against the wall, the metal loops of the thin chain digging on his flesh slightly with a twinge of discomfort that only makes Taeyong’s lenght twitch in excitement. 

"Oh yeah, so quiet and collected, you are the king of teasing" 

Taeyong’s vision is getting blurry, too eager for his high to process what Ten is saying or doing. 

The model breathes, _almost_ with calm, and then leans back down, opening his mouth wide and taking the whole shaft into his sweltering cavity, slowly letting it in until it hits the back of his throat and Taeyong's body jolts. 

His nails chirp against the flat wall of Jaehyun’s bedroom, overwhelmed by the thrill of Ten choking himself up on his dick.

"Holy shit, Ten, that's-" He shamelessly pulls him down, pulling from his hair and making Ten repeat that same movement a couple of times for him, his mouth taking him whole, tongue twirling on the underside and slurping with a vulgar sound of spit and precum slipping out from his lips with every trust Taeyong guided. "That’s so fucking hot" 

The pleased, hungry humm from the model around him doesn't help him, the vibrations spreading through him and dragging him closer to his high, so he pulls Ten back. The latter lets him play with him with a shocking facility, giving him the smug eyes while his mouth is too busy wrapping around his needy tip to speak. Taeyong waits a few seconds and then pushes down again until Ten's nose rubs against his abdomen -no gag reflex in sight whatsoever- and Taeyong moans under his breath. 

Ten's tongue is working wonders on him, and he knows he is close, but he doesn't want to let it go. 

Nonetheless, Ten moves, he pushes up and down on his throbbing shaft and he knows he can't last much longer if he keeps sucking and licking him like it's the most delicious lollipop. He squirms under him, pulling one of his legs over Ten’s shoulder as he speeds up the pace of his head. 

"I'm ready" he warns, almost choking up. "I'm coming, baby. Coming.... just a few... seconds..." 

He warns him once and twice, and he knows Ten has heard him, but the thai just looks up at him with those devilish eyes and what looks like what would be a smirk if his lips weren't around his pole and keeps going, even faster when Taeyong puts his hands on his shoulder in order to not fall.

The model’s hand also holds Taeyong, nails digging in his thighs until his breath cuts off for moments and his hips stop swaying to stiffen instead of meeting the pace of his lips. 

"Fuck, _Ten_!" Taeyong chokes on his name, his cock bursting with his hot sheed.

Ten keeps going while Taeyong melts right on his tongue, the older coming back to move, trusting sloppily, again and again in Ten’s wet mouth as he keeps coming.

Reaching this point of their relationship, Ten doesn’t seem to care about getting freaky, the first encounter in his house had been a lot more scandalous anyways. Locking his eyes with Taeyong’s once more, he swallows everything that is there to swallow, making Taeyong feel the scorching heat while the model leans away and still licks the underside up to the tip, collecting every white droplet with his tongue. 

He wipes the shiny trail of saliva that has dribbled from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand, making Taeyong’s stomach flip with the image.

His legs are shaking, so his arms go around Ten’s neck as he pulls himself up in a sweet attempt of avoiding the woblines of his knees. 

"I think I proved you wrong" Sings Ten with a hoarse voice and his face red, not getting rid of the smugness yet. "Still wanna act all high and get me worked up?".

"If these are the consequences, all the time" murmurs Taeyong, a bit dizzy. "And you deserved it, you really did"

The younger, without missing a beat, takes the moment to pull him into a kiss, his tongue lapping onto his mouth where Taeyong can still identify the indecent taste of his own release.

"I can't even say I didn't"

"You know what you did to me, don't you?"

"Yeah, I have an idea" murmurs Ten. Their bodies together make sparks crack, hot and sensitive when they brush and feel each other skin to skin. "Something _stupid_ " 

Taeyong throws his head back, submerging in the bliss that he gets from Ten’s words and the drag of his teeth on his neck. He feels the eagerness of the model’s movements, as his hips search for his own to roll on them and quiet whimpers crush against his lips whenever the model gets to rub his middle against his thigh. 

“You must be hard” musters the older in between Ten’s kisses, getting more rushed and fired-up everytime.

His hands fall to the buckle of his trousers, and surprisingly habile without taking a look down, he starts undoing the buttons. 

“Painfully so”

Taeyong lets a humorous sigh escape from his lips with Ten’s honesty. It must be really bad if he is not playing hard to get and teasing him with his shit-eating grins. 

“I knew” he cooes, still trying to play his part in the game. Maybe this way he can drag Ten right where he wants, to crave him even more and match Taeyong in his heady crush. It’s his turn to play sly, his hands very light when they move and land at each side of Ten’s hips instead of playing with his fly. “I know I turn you on pretty badly, I have seen how you look at me when we do it”

“It gets me bad”

"And I saw how you looked at me back there when I turned you down…" he whispers with a sensual and sluggish voice, pulling down his slacks just as slowly and making Ten step out of them. "When I kissed Jaehyun… You were pretty mad at me too, right?"

"And jealous, honestly" 

“You are not even going to deny it?”

“Why would I?” answers Ten, his voice getting closer to a menacing grunt and his hands slip down his arms until they clasp around Taeyong’s bare hips too. “You did all of this to get me going, so you deserve to know”

With a swift movement that almost makes Taeyong gasp, Ten makes him turn around, pressing his chest against his back and wiggling his hips against him, dragging his still clothed bulge against Taeyong’s naked ass. 

He goes slow, on the edge of being exhaustingly mellow.

Taeyong hopes this is Ten’s choice. 

The warm feeling of sweetness before the heat turns unstoppable, prepping him before they get really messy on that bed that will last even when he is gone and Taeyong misses him and his bubbly laugh. 

“You deserve to know I get high on your choked up sounds, and when you make that lewd face so close to me... god, I wish I could make you do it for the rest of my life”

“That’s a really really long time” utters Taeyong, feeling his body go weak. "That you would have to stick to me" 

He is getting a different feeling today, even though it’s almost unbelievable to be feeling something different with a person that has done this with him a considerable score of times, that can’t even take himself to invite him to a house party, but he knows what runs through his blood and what doesn’t. 

It’s confusing, like a mixture of being arrowed through his heart with the words Ten has given him to his ear, mad at him, and feeling furiously aroused. 

For their own amusement, Taeyong feels himself filling up again. He knows that Ten needs attention too, and there’s nothing that he desires more than to give him that piece of Heaven; he just simply doesn’t know how much he is going to last in a second round. 

“It is, babe” continues Ten, foreign to Taeyong’s mental dilemma between loving him softly or roughly; but he guesses he can allow himself to get both even if it's just today. Just a little bit more, just a pinch more of this sour candy. “That’s just how much I like to see you go fiery. You are quite the view when we are at it... you are quite the view all the time. With all this little things that drive me mental" his fingerd press on the golden chain that dips onto Taeyong’s flesh with thrilling chills. "You don't deserve less than the best... Now, babe, let’s lay you down. Show me your pretty rose” 

Taeyong is thankful to have his back facing Ten for once, as his cheeks flush slightly at the mention of the inked flower on his lower back. 

He looks at the wide bed ahead of him, feeling a bit guilty and embarrassed that knowing they shouldn’t be using it for this makes his dick twitch even more when he leans forward, naked body stretching on the impolute sheets and back arching to make himself prettier for Ten, who also makes him separate his legs with a clear objective. 

This is not how Taeyong planned the night to end, but it's better.

Totally exposed and inflamed for Ten and his loving.

It hasn't been so long since they did this the last time, just three weeks, but he feels pulled towards the model with more force each day, attracted to him with the fire of spite, jealousy and teasing. 

He can't deny him.

Ten's hot body presses against his back, glossy lips clashing against his shoulder to suck on the prominent bone of his shoulder. 

His body tenses, fisting Jaehyun’s sheets with the anticipation making his stomach clench, unable to hold back a moan. 

Ten takes the opportunity to brush his parted lips with his fingers, slowly caressing the flesh asking for permission, so Taeyong meekly opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue to lick them as they push inside, wlist his hips are moving up and searching for the contact that he finally founds on Ten’s clothed bulge. 

He smiles around the digits in his mouth and gyrates his hips to stimulate Ten with his small yet plush ass. Up and down, up and down to make the model wet his underwear. 

"Hard as fuck and you are still going slow" humms Taeyong humorously once his mouth is not busy with sucking Ten’s digits with ease. "You have no remedy" 

The velvety laugh of the model caresses the back of Taeyong’s neck like a loving stroke of wind, warm and gentle while his hand, equally slow, travels down to Taeyong’s hip. 

"There's no surprises here today?" He speaks, the tip of his fingers slipping between his cheeks and tapping the pink, puckering whole of the older. 

Taeyong shakes his head slowly, actually enjoying the tender touch of the other man, rubbing his finger around the tight entrance with the moist glide from his spit, making him react and flex for him. 

"No, today you have to work for me a little" he answers quietly, lifting his hips against his hand and feeling the touch of the sheets against his sensitive erection. "Sorry, I know you wanna push all of that in my ass desperately" 

"Trying to tease my patience?" Jokes Ten, pushing one finger that disappears inside of the designer's tight walls, making him jolt and shift on the bed excitedly. "I don't really have that much" 

"I'm glad to finally hear that from you" says Taeyong, biting back and lifting himself on his elbows to push down further on the yet small restraint. "Now mean it and fuck me" 

"You were serious with the fast and hard thing, uh?"

"Very" 

"Okay then"

Ten pulls out, and once he has his finger free, he lines up three digits and pushes his way back inside Taeyong. 

Taeyong gasps out loud, tilting his body as his hands grasp the sheets with the abrupt difference on the stretch that burns and whips his nerves with a swelling passion. Although the passage is quite tight and there’s barely any wetness to ease it up, there's only a delicious feeling of pressure and restraint jabbing through him, more than actual pain.

"Oh? Better now?"

Taeyong nods, his face burying on the sheets with a muffled groan. His trembling hand reach back to his asscheek, pulling to part them so Ten could sink in deeper.

He squirms, wiggling his hips and, since he doesn’t want to be careful anymore and Ten is actually really eager, the model doesn't pause and pumps inside him. 

He pulls out almost completely and then goes back in, forcefully and fast, soon turning the interesting feel of pressure into a dry and hot pleasure. It keeps intensifying with every thrust, when Taeyong’s walls give up to the stretch and the drag of the fingers curling inside and filling him in with that sensation of pressure that makes his lower stomach become a stirring of bliss eager to explode.

Taeyong's body fizzess, muscles clenching around the fingers, hips bucking with an unashamed groan when Ten's move his free hand up to his cock, squeezing unmercifully.

His lean body writhes, naturally reacting to the torrid feeling thickening his blood and making him gasp and drool like a slut, face burying on the sheets just before Ten curls his fingers again and touches the bundle of nerves that makes him release a lewd, loud moan.

"Nooo" he whines breathlessly, but Ten hits it again and then again. "You are going to make me cum without you... I want you inside" 

"I have all night, I can repeat this once more, and again and again in every way" 

And as he murmurs his devilish threat, Ten hits hard on Taeyong’s spot again making him drown in a devastating desire. 

That's the rough Ten he was craving, the Ten that can only happen when he has been as angry and annoyed about the whole thing tonight. 

He is the Ten that wants to keep Taeyong around. 

"No, please, daddy" he mewls, angling his head back to look at Ten with his big, sparky, pleading eyes with the hope of provoking the right reaction on the model, putting the special name on the phrase for good measure. "I like it better when you put it in me and we cum together"

His smile, not even close to being pure, appears just when Ten stops right away. 

He pulls out his fingers so fast that the whip of emptiness makes Taeyong open his eyes like plates, trying to get a hold of the intense change in his ass' openness and pulling from the sheets like a helpless kitten attempting to climb a high place. 

His head spins with the haste, still trying to take in what Ten is doing once he moves to the night table, opening one drawer and complaining in an undertone. 

"You can't tell me this dumbass doesn't have even one condom" 

Taeyong tilts his head up, still panting. He really, _really_ , wants to touch himself but he knows he is just two pumps away from orgasm and coming alone with his doesn’t sound as appealing as Ten’s dick buried inside him.

Even though the idea of making Ten witnesses how he came like that was tempting. 

"Try the other one" he suggests, mostly trying to hurry things up due to the feeling of his ass pulsing with the build up and want and his cock leaking heavily and leaving a wet patch on the sheets. 

Ten takes the suggestion and moves to the second drawer, going through what seems to be Jaehyun's underwear drawer. 

He finds a bottle of lube and tosses it onto the mattress, but he keeps looking with the biggest amount of vigour that Taeyong has seen from him so far. 

The older moves almost as if in a fog, crawling to place himself higher onto the bed, and taking Ten by his wrist to pull him towards himself so that he is with him again. 

"Forget it" he whispers, throwing his arms around Ten's back and joining their puffed lips together with a disordered kiss that's all tongue and lust. 

"You sure?" 

"Super sure" 

Before Ten can hold himself up, they are both toppling onto the mattress, which lets a quiet whining of springs.

They part the kiss only when Ten moves his hips and shimmies out of his underwear to kick it off.

Now that Taeyong can look at his face, his mind is pushed into another plane of existence.

Ten's naturally black hair is fluffy and long, and it has started sticking to his drenched face, all red and hot. Inside his dark eyes, the blacker part of his pupils are blown out and sparkly, and his lips are wet and swollen. 

Looking down in between them just confirms what his expression makes obvious, the younger hissing almost painfully as he frees his dick from its prison. It’s quite stiff, big and curved up at the end. 

"Hhhmmmph" moans the thai, suddenly sounding a bit cuter with the squint of his eyes.

"I know" croons Taeyong with a small chuckle. "Me too" Getting a hold of the lube, he quickly opens the bottle and pours a large blob of the substance onto his fingers and warms it up a little. "Now let me fix that for you" Next he places a hand on Ten’s hip spreading the lube onto his length with the tip of his fingers first, and then moving on to wrap his whole hand around the hardness, practically jacking him off. 

Taeyong can notice his breathing, clipped, fast and hotter than normal, beginning to feel every inch of his body getting crisp. 

Ten's hand clasp still around his wrist and his fingers hold him tightly.

"If you really want it together, stop that" says the younger, breath laboured and putting Taeyong’s obedient hand away. "Or I won't last" 

"It doesn’t matter, I can do this all night" jokes the older.

With a delicate movement, he doesn’t know how, Ten makes his back meet the duvet.

Taeyong looks extremely gorgeous, his body bare and waiting for Ten with the golden shines of the body chain wrapping around him. His long and wavy hair is messy and his legs spread for Ten when he kneels in between them, pushing Taeyong’s knees to his chest. 

He can't help but let a whimper escape from his lips as he feels the delicious spread of his walls while Ten pushes his shaft in, spreading his walls apart. 

The model's face buries on the crook of his neck as he moves in further, filling Taeyong to the brim. As much as Taeyong’s mind is switching off and his mouth falling slack without an actual sound, he doesn’t stop feeling satisfied with the way Ten fists the sheets at his sides and the groan spurts from the back of his throat.

Taeyong wraps his waist with his legs, lifting his hips up, quickly forgetting the fight or whatever they were trying to do to the other before, as the model starts to thrust, slowly pulling halfway in and halfway out of his ass as Taeyong moans along to the thrusts.

"Oh yeah, such a quiet baby" teases Ten.

The older opens his half closed eyes to stare at him, his voice picking up in the sinful tone. 

"You wanna compete?" As he says his last word, Taeyong contracts his walls around him, ripping the moan off from Ten. 

They both giggle, even though the sound is strangled, but it gets lost when Ten picks up the pace, thrusting in deeply with a delicious curve of his hips, rubbing his girth across Taeyong’s prostate. 

"I love to look at your face when we fuck" moans Ten, shamelessly confessimg something Taeyong wasn't ready for. "I love doing _that_ to you", 

His heart jumps all over his chests but he is so drunk on the pleasure clogging his lower body that he can’t answer or gasp in a different form that's not his already laboured breath while Ten fucks onto him. 

The orgasm is welling up inside Taeyong, he knows well from the way his muscles feel stiff and his hips are drenched with his leaking member. 

"Ugh, mmm, fuck, Ten" the designer moans, as the entire bed shakes and the wooden header bumps against the wall. "I'm coming"

"Go ahead" 

Ten moves his hand down, rubbing his thigh and then stroking his balls without stopping to pound, watching Taeyong's body begin to spam trusting up his hips. 

"Fuck!" 

Taeyong practically screams, as the other man times his hand movements with the pace of his hips and his dick erupts all the way up on his chest, almost losing himself entirely with Ten continuing to carry him through the high. 

His back curls up and his tears roll down his cheeks, walls clenching furiously and hugging Ten’s length. 

"I can pull back" moans Ten in his ear, audibly troubled. "If you don't want me to-"

Taeyong’s legs are twitching, but he wraps them around Ten again, pushing him further and deliberately clasping his ass down onto him. The model makes a spectacular view when his lips part and he throws his head back with a pretty and pornographic moan that accompanies his spill inside him. 

Taeyong’s head feels heavy out of a sudden and he is drenched in sweat, as much as Ten, whose skin glistens when his body goes limp and his shaking arms that had been holding him up give up to delicately lay by Taeyong’s side, pulling out slowly and making the older scrunch his nose with the warm, sticky feeling that trickles down his ass and thighs onto the bed. 

He is going to need to apologize to Jaehyun later. 

Finally, they can hear the music from the lower floor again, a bit covered by their ragged breaths next to each other. Ten's cheek is leaning on Taeyong's chest, and his eyes close, as if he is enjoying the rapid pulse of the older under his skin for a moment. The air calms and the electricity settles down, leaving just the two of them holding each other as if there's nothing else in the world to do but to be together no matter what. 

This is so dumb to Taeyong's eyes, getting back to the mellow ambiance between them, but he can't get enough of it. He just stays there and hopes for the best to come out from Ten when he is ready to open his mouth again. 

"I was supposed to be mad at you" he murmurs, with his eyes still closed, playing with his finger hooked on the tight chain sround his neck and waiting for his ass to begin to assimilate that he has been stripped from the thing that has been tearing him apart with the best of feelings. No pain or discomfort, only bliss and artistry if Ten is the one that touches him. "And this wasn't supposed to happen, but you don't really have bad sex days" 

Hearing Ten's chuckle makes him curl his lips up. 

The younger hovers closer to him, softly pulling one arm around his hips to give him a chaste kiss on the soft flesh under his jaw. Then, he kisses his lips too, and not only once. The small pecks fall over him and pamper his skin everywhere, making Taeyong’s heart swell. 

"Don't get mad at me, _pwese_?" The exaggerated cute accent of his phrase elicits a guffaw from the older, opening his eyes and turning his face to the other man. 

"Are you… using cute acting with me?"

He shrugs, and then he presses his lips on his cheek, close to the corner of his lips. 

Taeyong’s eyes soften, getting convinced of how little he cares about the risks of leaning closer to join their lips in a short, delicate peck, followed by a longer one -if not any less subtle- that make them roll on the bed all tangled, their tongues dancing with an unrushed choreography that feels unpracticed yet so perfect and magical. The way they sigh so lovingly, the way they place their hands upon each other's bodies... it's just so _theirs_. 

The tone of Ten’s orbs when they pull back and he looks at him, paired with a warm sigh, puts his heart in turmoil. 

"I actually… I do like kissing you" says Ten, with a lovely breath. "I should have put it straight when you asked me the first time"

Taeyong blinks fast, taking the words in. 

“Wh-”

"I'm sorry for today, I didn't mean to upset you” he confesses, out of a sudden. Ten is now resting on his elbows, pushing his hair back and looking a lot much softer than what he has been throughout the intense battle between them at the start of the night. “Listen to me, because I don't want you to hate me. Sometimes I calculate things pretty poorly, I should have told you to come with me"

"Yes. Yes, you should have. We could have done this way easier"

"I know... I honestly planned to do it and wanted to do it instead of making a fool of myself, but then I felt weak and I really didn’t know that Jaehyun would take his cards into the matter and everything came out… very rude from me, I didn’t want that" 

"You wanted me to come?"

"Of course I wanted you to come. You are pretty, fun and interesting to be around, the stupid one is me so... I hope you can forgive me because I know all of this has been my worst performance" 

“Then… if you really wanted me here, why didn’t you say something to me? Was it so hard to talk to me?”

“I don’t know, Taeyong… it’s scary right now”

“Is it?” he mutters, so quietly that he doubts that the model is able to hear him at all. This could be the real conversation they needed to have “Why?”

“Because things are growing between our hands, can’t you tell?” he sighs, sounding pitiful even. Taeyong's heart rings, however. “And I like it, so much. But I know living those things with me can be a bummer"

"Seriously, Ten?" Asks Taeyong incredulous and sort of annoyed. "That's why we went through this?"

"Look, I know that living a life under the mat, doing everything in secret and having something that scratches the back of your mind all the time is not ideal for anyone, I told you. Honestly, Taeyong, I just don’t… want to lose you”

“I’m- _Shit_. I’m aware of those things, Ten. But don't you see I’m still here nonetheless?” 

The younger turns to look at him with big eyes. 

Taeyong chuckles, sitting up on the bed now that his legs are more stable. He still feels a dull sensation on his lower back but it's normal with the antecedents. He tries putting his feet on the cold floor and steadily standing, finding the wobblines of his legs even charming. 

Since he can walk, he takes the freedom of picking up some wipes from Jaehyun’s dressing table to clean himself up, not really going to make the whole bedroom worse than it already is. 

“That's why I came… I just… I don’t feel like it’s easy for me to part from you yet, you know? And I really got upset thinking that you don’t want anything with me apart from… well” Taeyong gestures to the bed. “This”

“Gosh, no, I’m so sorry” says the younger, rubbing his eyes with his fingers in utter desperation and embarrassment. “I’m so fucking stupid, I _love_ having you around, and I don't mean in bed only. I thought you already knew that"

"I'm not a mind reader, baby" sighs Taeyong with a gentle smile. Because at the end, he can understand Ten too well in this struggle of sentiments they have going on. "So I need you to tell me. I know I may be high-maintenance but I need to know when you are scared too, because I was trully freaking out, for real"

"No, please, I swear you are so great. That’s why I get scared of taking you everywhere and getting you tired of acting secretly. I really didn’t plan things to go down like this, I would never want to hurt you on purpose. You understand that, right?”

Taeyong shakes his head a little, the manner in which he is feeling touched translating well into the tilt of his eyebrows and the shine of his eyes. 

"It’s okay. And it's okay to be secret. It's okay as long as you are here, dumbass"

"Shit... shit, sorry"

"That's also fine... I'm glad that you're apologising but I… didn't act cool either. I wanted to talk to you like an adult but Yuta suggested the bitchy act and in the heat of the moment it sounded great"

"Yuta? You haven't talked to me about that one before… maybe I like him"

“You can say he is my devil’s advocate who brought the whole 'make him regret his choice' idea”

“I clearly like him”

"Really?"

"He was right, I highly regret my choice. But to clear things out, it's not because the way you look, Taeyong... it's just _you_ "

“You are making up for your sins, uh?" he laughs softly, concealing the sof spot of his heart. "Maybe I should introduce you guys someday, but I may find myself with too much cockiness in one room”

“So what now?” asks Ten, shimming inside his pants to pull them up, just as Taeyong is doing at the other side of the bed. “We do more than sex now? Can we do that?”

Taeyong pauses midway through putting on his blouse, as if his mind stops, but he feels just like that. He waited for something like that to be asked by the model and he needs a couple of seconds to record the sound in his mind and replay it, a quiet smile creeping onto his lips before he resumes his activity. 

“We can do fun and adjuncts”

Ten giggles at the usage of words. 

“ _Fun and adjuncts_?”

“You understood what I meant”

“Yeah… so like... sex and _more_... Are you really sure you wanna go down this way? Knowing what you know?" 

"I just let you fuck me on your best friend's bed after throwing a tantrum at you, talk about willingness" 

Ten laughs, and so does Taeyong, genuinely feeling renewed with the small shift from just some moments before, when they stepped into that room. 

"Jaehyun is not my best friend" corrects the younger, now trying to make his shirt be the right way to put him on again. "Equally big and dumb, but since you really are up to the "adjuncts" I'm starting to give you memos about myself. My best friend is Yukhei"

"Wong Yukhei?" gasps Taeyong "Like… the model Wong Yukhei?" 

"You forgot that I'm also a model that quickly? Yes, that one. So?" 

"Crap, you have to introduce me to him" 

Ten crosses his arms over his chest and, popping his hip to one side, he makes a funny grimace that makes Taeyong amused. 

"As long as he doesn’t steal my spot as your favorite model ever"

Taeyong laughs with his squeezy snickering, cutely clapping his hands a few times, and so the model can't help the way his heart softens with the view. 

"After all this fuss we made down there? Nah, I'll save myself some time" 

"Then sure, I can ask him if he wants to hang out someday. But what about your friends? I am curious too and I'm sure their agendas are not as wild as Yukhei's, because I tell you, with his legs, he is booked for the whole year already" 

“Sure, we can count that as the adjuncts part”

“You make it sound like a contract” jokes Ten, walking his way around the bed to go back at Taeyong. 

“Behold, I may make you sign so there's no way you can wiggle out of it” 

Ten smiles, arms surrounding Taeyong quietly and pushing him in for a laid-back smooch on his cheek. Then he moves to the corner of his lips, and by the time he arrives at Taeyong’s lips, the older is out of breath already, welcoming the infinitely mellow kiss flowing from Ten like warming up honey during a cold, rainy night. 

“Give me the pen”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have just a few chapterd left until the end~ sugar, this is going down.
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)   
> 


	21. B-side

When Taeyong opens his eyes, the sharp pain that hits his temple makes him grasp the idea of why his memory is blurry about how he even ends up sleeping on Doyoung’s bed, cuddled up with the latter. 

As he recalls it, he spent half of the party playing hard to get, but it all went to hell when he started kissing Ten. 

He smiles like a fool when he remembers how the model told him that he liked to kiss him, hoping that's not one of the parts that he made out during the drunk race that started later on, when he decided he was happy enough to play drinking games with him, Doyoung, Jaehyun and even Mark, because he was settled in not driving Ten’s car back and forth once more. 

"Stop smiling like that and let me go" he hears Doyoung whining, his voice thick and sloppy as he tries to roll to the side and escape Taeyong’s weight on top of him. "Taeyong, I swear to god"

"Why am I even in your bed?" The older bites back, rolling to the side so his friend can breath. Either way, none of them make an effort to get up. 

“Don’t even think about what you are thinking, I would never touch you, not even with a stick”

"Whatever you want" giggles Taeyong devilish. "You didn’t answer. Why on earth are we sleeping together?" 

"Ten did puppy eyes for me to bring you home and told me to take care of you because you got excited during Truth or Dare and ended up gone" 

"Gone gone?" Asks Taeyong, starting to feel really embarrassed out of a sudden just because Ten has a part in the whole story and he knows how he deals with alcohol which is, surprise surprise, not too well. "Why didn't you stop me?" 

"I tried, but you were really committed to the game the moment Jaehyun dared you to drink a shot off Ten’s-"

"Don't say navel"

"Okay but… yeah. Then you two made out with the lime excuse. It was fun because both of you forgot that it existed. I think Jaehyun has a picture"

"Oh, godammit. Did I faint?" 

Taeyong knows that alcohol doesn't go easy on him most of the time, and for the toothy smile of his friend, he is starting to see where this is going. 

"Well, you didn't faint per se. I would say that you… gently fell asleep on his shoulder"

The stupor officially crashes down on Taeyong, palms going to his face to drown the hard whine that he needs to let out. 

"Tell me it's a lie" 

"It’s not" grins Doyoung, having the most possible fun one can have without the hangover washing out. "But if it serves you as encouragement, he let you sleep your shit away, quitted playing when you did, too. He told me to make sure you could go home fine, but I was pretty wasted too, honestly, so I called a taxi and I guess we are here now" 

"He is so sweet" numbles Taeyong, hiding his still bashful face on the pillow. "I like him so much" 

"Oh, there you are" sings Doyoung, clasping his hands on Taeyong’s shoulders and leaning him back against the bed, playfully fighting against him to uncover his face once more. "What happened with you two? You made peace? For what I saw I assume you did but since you are two wrecks..." 

Taeyong smiles in response, taking in that nothing among the things making him happy that morning was a drunk dream. He wrestles against Doyoung, pulling from his hands as they start laughing and hitting each other. 

"Hey, dynamic duo" calls Johnny, interrupting as he perches on the doorframe of his roommate with a sly grin. "Good morning. How are we feeling?" 

"Johnny, we were having a moment!" Jokes Doyoung.

"But we both have our pants on, safe moment"

"Seriously?" Asks the tallest amused, taking a couple of long strides towards the bed and flopping in between his friends. "Let me join, I wanna know what was the process of getting as shitfaced as you came home last night"

Doyoung’s long, strained sound of complaining mixed with Johnny’s laugh cause Taeyong to start laughing easily.

"Well, Taeyong was about to tell us how whipped he is for his model lover". Explains Doyoung. 

Suddenly Taeyong remembers the tiny detail that this can be an awkward conversation. 

He looks at Johnny curiously awaiting his reaction but the older one just looks at him too, mimicking a reporter that's holding an invisible mic and pointing it to him. 

"Back to you, Taeyong, can you confirm how whipped you are?" The designer pouts comically, happiness spreading on his heart nonetheless as he hits Johnny’s chest with his open hand, making his friends laugh more. "You tell us, enlighten your poor friends" 

"Very" he responds quietly, making the other two cheer and clap like idiots, as if he was giving the most intelligent speech of the United Nations. "I like him a lot and I already said this twice today!" 

"So?" Asks Doyoung, resuming his interview "He apologized?" 

"Yeah"

"For what?" Adds Johnny, as he is a bit uninformed of the situation. 

"Misunderstandings" summarizes Taeyong for both his friends. "We also talked a bit about us and what we have," he explains shyly, twirling his hair around his finger as he remembers what he agreed with Ten. "We said that sex is okay but that we suit something more, you know?"

"Dating?" Inquires Doyoung. 

"You are dating The Ten Lee?" 

"Not yet" quickly clarifies Taeyong, not wanting to go that fast. Still, he hasn't turned down the possibility. "We are doing fun and adjuncts now"

Taeyong himself laughs at the name they both gave it so they could save themselves from admitting it was feelings. 

Feelings and sex with Ten sounds pretty good, he is probably going to use that way to reffer to it in his mind, but until Ten doesn’t mention it first, he is not going to go begging. 

"You both are fucking dumb" butts in Doyoung, rolling his eyes. "And now I have to cope with him too, right?" 

"Probably, because he said we should hang out all together"

"Help me, lord"

"So you got a hold of him, uh?" Inquired Johnny. "You managed. I wonder if there's something that resists to your persistence" 

"Yeah. And I admit I could have told him I was bothered in a more… mature way, you know? But I don't quite regret what I did" 

"What did you do?" Smirks Johnny, probably foreseeing the answer to an extent. 

"The 'i'm hot and you can't touch me' tactic because he was pissed that Mister Lee didn’t invite him to the party," explains Doyoung with a tint of malice. "In Taeyong’s defense, I gotta say that I left Yuta unsupervised so the idea came out of him"

"Yeah, yeah, I showed up the slut in me" says Taeyong, waving his hand in dismissal and pointing at Doyoung next. "But what about you, uh?" 

"Yeah, still want to know your business there, you don’t look less of a wreck" sings Johnny, and Taeyong flips around, prompting himself on his elbow to look at Johnny with playful eyes. "Where did you go all dolled up? You can’t tell me you did it just to see Taeyong sink a man's life" 

"You don't know?" Teases Taeyong, looking at Doyoung mischievously and then at Johnny. "A hot dude caught Doie's eye" 

"Tell me everything right now!" Hollers Johnny, while Doyoung sits up on the bed frowning and regrets his haste when his head gets the dizzy stroke. "What the fuck, Doyoung, and you were so quiet?"

"His name is Jung Jaehyun" croons Taeyong, all cheeky as Doyoung’s eyebrows keep knitting. "Didn't you leave with him to the upper floor at some point? He told me" 

"He did?" Murmurs Doyoung. 

"So you left with him!" Yells Johnny, pointing out an accusatory finger and cracking up more laughs that at this point must be annoying the poor neighbours of the block. "What's on the second floor tho?"

"You can ask Taeyong, right?" Accuses Doyoung, diverting the attention from himself and provoking a shocked stare from his friend. "Or don't you remember? Jaehyun told Ten to pay for the sheets, and that he should stop thinking with his dick"

"Oh shit" says Taeyong, guiding a hand to his forehead and then cackling with the memory. "Oh shit, I remember! Because Ten was dared to tell a secret and he told Jaehyun he should change his sheets" 

Now is when Johnny’s laugh becomes so strong that he starts tearing up and clapping.

"He is a savage! But don't wiggle out of my question, Doyoung, what happened with… what's his name again?"

"Jaehyun" collaborates Taeyong, both crowding around Doyoung as the latter sighs.

What Taeyong wasn’t expecting is the faint curve of Doyoung’s lips before he speaks. 

"We were just hanging out on his balcony for a while, catching some fresh air and talking" 

"Are you serious?" Aks Johnny, genuinely impressed for what it seems. "You guys were having the deep talks?" 

"I guess" admits Doyoung, impressing Taeyong this time too. "He is super hot, I'm not the one to say he is not, but… he has a good personality too. And before you two mock me, yes, I mean I like him" 

"Finally!" 

"God, good to hear!" 

Both Johnny and Taeyong speak almost at the same time, encouraging the youngest of the room and palming his back.

"Go for it, catch that man!" 

"Slowly, okay? Just when things happen if they happen" 

"No 'i'm hot and you can’t have me' technique and sex in someone else's bed?" Jokes Johnny taking the joke back at Taeyong, so Doyoung laughs out loud and shakes his head. 

"No, no, no, but Taeyong, I swear to god… I really like him so don’t kiss him again or I will murder you”

“What!?” screeches Johnny, eyes wide as he giggles even more. “What happened in that fucking party!?”

“He told you about that!? Now, wait a second, he was the one who did it!”

“To help you bother Ten, and I can tell it worked out, uh?!”

“Oh my god, then it’s not my fault! Wait, wait!” yells Taeyong, amused, worried, and all the things in between. “No one dared us to kiss, right?" 

"Don't worry about that, if they did I bet I chose to take a piece of clothing off in front of Jaehyun instead of joining lips with you!" 

"And I bet you'd take all of them off for him without needing to be challenged!" 

"Fuck you!"

“You are taking me to the next party of that man, no way I miss something like this again” cuts out Johnny. 

Doyoung makes an annoyed face and puffs, waving his hand away to make Taeyong move away from him, only getting the older to snake his arms around his torso to hug him. 

“Let me go, idiot, you should text Ten and tell him you are alive or I won't live to tell it"

"You are scared of him?" Pricks Taeyong as he gets up from the bed and tries not to fall face down on the floor due to the instability of leftover alcohol in his blood and his sore thighs derived from other activities, because, of course, he is actually dying to talk to Ten. "If you are scared of Ten maybe I should really date him" 

At the end, Taeyong finds his phone almost dead at one of Doyoung’s night tables. This time no one took the time to plug it in for it to charge, but the presence is still there when he unlocks the screen. 

[04:22] Ten🔥: I hope you arrive safely 

[04:25] Ten🔥: Tell me when you do okay baby???

[05:16] Ten🔥: babyyyyy babe

[05:16] Ten🔥: im sorry that i was a fucking duuuuumbass and didn’t invite you first 

[05:17] Ten🔥: whAt kinda movement waa rhat Ten? 

[06:43] Ten🔥: going homE now yeah? 

[06:43] Ten🔥: hope you're sleeping fine right now baby 

He types in an answer with a genuine smile on his face, endeared with the loveliness of Ten's tipsy texts. 

[10:42] Babyboy 💕: good morning, Tennie, i'm fine 

[10:42] Babyboy 💕: im sorry if i worried you, i don't hold well my alcohol i think that's clear now 

[10:42] Babyboy 💕: that’s my little memo for the adjuncts 😳

[10:42] Babyboy 💕: Doyoung said i passed ou

[10:42] Babyboy 💕: it’s so !! embarrassing !!!

For his surprise, his phone vibrates with an answer. 

[10:43] Ten🔥: it's okay, it was cute 

[10:43] Babyboy 💕: you are awake? 

[10:43] Ten🔥: barely

[10:43] Ten🔥: the sound of my phone woke me up with your text i guess i didn't turn it off yesterday 

[10:44] Ten🔥: but it’s okay, i prefer to know that you are okay 

[10:44] Ten🔥: you slept well? 

[10:44] Babyboy 💕: okay, you are done being too fucking cute, go back to sleep 

[10:44] Ten🔥: hahaha

[10:44] Ten🔥: you sure? don't need anything else? 

[10:45] Babyboy 💕: not now, i'll annoy you later 

[10:45] Ten🔥: i'll gladly take that 

[10:45] Ten🔥: we owe each other some "adjuncts", since we already covered the "fun" a lot right? 

[10:46] Ten🔥: i shouldn't ask you for a date when i have a headache

[10:46] Ten🔥: since i want to remember the moment properly 

[10:46] Babyboy 💕: it's alright babe, go to sleep

[10:46] Babyboy 💕: you already said enough 

He truly did, and Taeyong breathes deeply with the new sensation of freedom. 

It's curious how much can a crossed line be reassuring, because just as Doyoung had told him once, Taeyong had found himself wanting a lot more, and finally, Ten is catching up with him. 

[10:46] Ten🔥: is that a yes?

[10:46] Babyboy 💕: big one

*******

For a moment he ponders about how much of a good idea is to be the one in charge of driving today. 

Maybe Taeyong’s car would be a better idea if they wanted to be lowkey, but he had forgotten about that with the excitement and now that he is waiting, the preoccupation comes back again. 

It's always in the back of his mind, biting him and ruining moments that were supposed to be the highest amount of beautiful. 

He knows they are ready, somewhere hidden to screw everything up. Mark has already told him that there is some eavesdropping around threatening the agency, so he can't help it. 

But it’s not that he has a lot of time to overthink before the small ball of cuteness called Taeyong appears from behind the front door of the building and skips down the steps with a light grin on his face, lighting up Ten’s expression just as easily. 

The break of dawn is already approaching and his hands sweat as they grip the wheel. 

It has been a while since he has gone this far, but Taeyong deserves no less. 

Finally, the designer opens the door and hops in the car, occupying the copilot seat that has started looking pretty much like his special spot, stretching on the spacious leather seat like a coquettish kitten and making Ten smirk to himself remembering the sentence that Taeyong had used back then when he asked if he liked the car. 

But today is not about that.

Taeyong’s shorter silver hair suits him well, and the choppy bangs make him look cuter. There’s a red accent on his pale locks from the silly heart-shaped sunglasses that rest on top of his head and that little can do in the useful field now that the sun hours are coming to an end, but Ten knows they belong to the set of aesthetics that Taeyong has put up today, together with the shorts, and the red, white and black windbreaker. 

“Hello there, princess” he greets with a smile once that Taeyong is fully placed on the seat and the door is closed, in case someone tries to sneak into their conversation. “Look at that outfit, what’s the occasion?” 

Taeyong makes that little gesture with his lips that resembles a subdued pout. Of course, it doesn’t take a lot to tease him about the easiest things in their daily life together, which makes it even more fun. He knows that Taeyong is much more dare of what he may show on the outside, but his cute overall way of moving always made his heart light.

“You know what it is” he whines. 

Ten giggles with one of his high-pitched laughs and Taeyong pouts even more notwithstanding his own smile. 

Who would have said that a week ago they were trying to sabotage each other with a bunch of cherries and a full face of makeup.

“This is our first date” whispers the older one, looking up at him with glittering eyes and taking Ten with the guards down.

His eyes flutter and he forgets about the wheel, letting it go to turn his body to the side and look at Taeyong. 

“Is it?” he asks, genuinely and almost concerned. “What about the other times?”

Taeyong holds his gaze, but he seems nearly as speechless as Ten himself, which is strange because he has always considered Taeyong to be the one who is more grounded among the two of them. 

“You mean the museum?”

“Yeah. And we also went for dinner that one time” 

“When you paid for the whole dinner and made me beg for dessert in a public restroom?” croons the older with a smile too lovely for the words he just said, melting Ten’s heart just a little bit more. “Is that considered a date?”

“I don’t know. Why not?”

“I bet I wasn’t thinking the same things I’m thinking today” whispers Taeyong. 

Ten wonders when did they start talking under their breaths, as if everything is a secret. And yes, theoretically it’s actually a secret to the world right now, one that Ten wants to keep inside his safe box forever and ever so no one can break it; but not from each other. 

He tries to guess what Taeyong even means with his words and with the bright shine of his eyes, head tilting with that lovely angle that only he can get to look like nothing less than an angel. 

The model is sure that he has nothing else to say, he has nothing else to do, only lean in and make himself a fool kissing Taeyong only five minutes into their -apparently- first date. 

“What are you thinking?” he tries out, voicing one of the thousands of thoughts he has up there in his brain to delay this moment. Perhaps, just to make it last a bit longer, just in case. “Today, I mean. What’s different?”

Taeyong’s eyes briefly fall from his own to take a peep of the model’s lips, and then he returns to his orbs just as fast.

If the exhale Taeyong lets out to sweetly crash on Ten’s face is intentional, the older should go and bite back his words about Ten being cruel.

“You don’t feel different now?”

Ten would like to answer that question, but if he has to be frank -and that’s all he wants to be with Taeyong ever since they had that irking fight at Jaehyun’s party- there’s so much to unpack. 

Taeyong is pretty, so much it hurts. He is about the most beautiful person Ten has ever seen and he would say so any day, Mark and Jaehyun could give credit to that. Still, with all the things that go around in his world, tangling and getting messy, looking good is not a reason enough to bother.

The moment Ten texted to the number that the tailor had scribbled in his recipe back then, he should have known that he would probably be screwed. 

Even if innocent was all that his first conversations with Taeyong weren’t, it was just the game at the first stage. He told himself it was just the game when he almost begged Mark to move his appointment to an earlier day because his mind was starting to run ahead of him. He definitely wanted to believe it was just the game when they went out for dinner and his heart flipped over because Taeyong had the cutest scrunch of his nose when he laughed too hard over his futile attempt to pronounce a thai diss name correctly. 

Ten bites his tongue. 

He feels different, of course. Because he doesn’t want to ruin this, he doesn’t want to ruin the spark of Taeyong's eyes when he looks at him, and that makes him nervous to the bone. Taeyong is the most precious person he has ever met, and he won’t forgive himself if he made him hurt. 

"I-" 

It’s Ten's eyes that fall to Taeyong parted cushions now, briefly before he turns back at his eyes. 

His playlist has once more jumped to a song from his playlist that would remind him of Taeyong from now on.

He wonders how Taeyong reached the conclusion that Ten is the cool, relaxed one with all that he does is behave like a mess when they are together. 

"I want to do this," Ten says, as he begins to close his eyes, giving in to the natural curve of his body towards Taeyong, cupping up his face so he could just press their lips together so hard they were hard to detach them later. "So much"

"Me too"

They get closer, his lips are already feeling the moist smack of Taeyong’s lipstick as they take things slow to feel all the process behind this moment, all the feelings that make it work past the embarrassment of other times or the hesitation. 

With a quiet breath, the designer parts his mouth and welcomes Ten's kiss, just a ghost at the beginning before the model free falls on the pool of strawberry flavored chapstick. He almost pushes Taeyong back onto the fancy car’s door, wanting to reach for something more, something softer and warmer. 

The sudden and strident knock on the car's window takes them by surprise though, getting the model to not only jolt but also bump with his forehead on Taeyong’s own, both of them leaning away fast. 

He is not usually a person that leaps easily into anger, but Ten can swear he wants to jump whoever just cut them down like that. 

He turns to his window hoping really hard that it's not a photographer from the pink press catching him red handed, because that would make him slap the camera out of their hands and give him a gay scandal paired with a violent fit, but it turns out to be just a police officer. 

"Hello? Is everything okay in there?"

Ten sighs, searching for the button that lowers the window while Taeyong rubs his sore forehead with his fingers, a cute and silly smile still pasted on his face. 

"Yeah, good evening” says Ten with his best customer service smile. “Everything is alright, what can I do for you?" 

"I just wanted to let you know you parked your vehicle in a loading and unloading zone, so you must move the car"

"I was about to go, I was only picking someone up, for god’s sake"

"Then please, proceed"

"Sure"

"Thank you"

Ten puffs annoyed when the window is closed again, turning on the engine and giving a sarcastically bitter look to Taeyong, whose small laugh has come to the scene. His eyes are still swoony and bright after the kiss, which makes it very hard to even  _ pretend  _ he is mad at him.

"What is so funny to you, Lee Taeyong?" 

The older just shakes his head with the lovely smile on his lips, tucking his chin on his palm to stare out of the window as they finally leave the restricted parking spot.

“You are pissed”

“And that amuses you, kitten?” he teases. The new nickname makes Taeyong peep at Ten, trying to be secretive and not really being so, with those big eyes that makes him look like a spoiled little prince, and Ten loves that from him. The way he is so cute and coquettish, so smug and flirty with his confident moves and still loses it for a pet name that has taken him with the guards down.

He sulks, aware of how Ten has caught him from the corner of his eye, and looks out of the window again.

“I just think it’s so flattering that you can be so greedy for just a kiss” he murmurs. “You are bad at speaking, but so clingy when it comes to showing love”

“Well, that was our first kiss, I sure wanted it to not be interrupted by a cop” 

“First?” asks Taeyong, chuckling and obviously confused. “You suffer from amnesia or what?”

“No, but considering your criteria… doesn’t feel the same as before. Kissing you.”

“Oh…” 

Ten chuckles to conceal how embarrassed he really is, since Taeyong had been right when he mentioned that Ten’s love language doesn’t work with proximity and, being cut by this nosy cop, had broken his attempt to be the sweet person Taeyong deserves. 

Hence, the verbal method. He is not willing to just let the opportunity go. 

"So, where are you taking me?" asks the older instead. So shy and for what? But it reminds Ten that they are supposed to be heading to their date, orchestrated by Ten himself . 

After his mess up with the invitation to Jaehyun’s party, he couldn’t do less than taking care of Taeyong and providing him with a nice day. 

"It’s a surprise"

"For real?" Ask Taeyong, probably trying to extract something from him before he can see it himself. Ten can't help the lopsided grin from how impatient the designer actually is. 

"For real, baby" 

"Yah, no way. It's not something shabby like the bowling alley or something, right?"

"What's wrong with bowling?" He teases, making himself amused, but he is interested in the answer too. Nothing Taeyong can say about himself ever bores Ten. "It’s a cute place for dates, it’s fun. Do you suck at it or what?"

"I don't, but it's boring at this point. It’s like zero effort" 

Ten giggles, pretending he is looking at the next turn of the street so he can change directions and avoid the nonexistent bowling plan. 

"Okay, no bowling with Lee Taeyong" 

Just for the fun, he takes the turn around the square making it feel like an abrupt change of ways, and Taeyong is already laughing with all that energy that erupts from him when something is truly amusing for him, his whole body shaking and clapping his hands cheerfully. 

The best part is that Ten has a few things he has gotten ready for the day piled in the backseats, but Taeyong doesn’t seem to notice the huge basket. Well, that plays a part in the surprise effect, which is a wonderful sight when they finally arrive at the right location.

“We arrived”

“Here?” asks Taeyong, curiously looking out of the window and trying to guess what is his mind plotting. 

Ten has driven all the way to Gwanghwamun Square and as he opens the door to exit the car, he wonders how the steering wheel did not escape his hold with how much his hands are shaking. 

He walks to the copilot door and opens the door for Taeyong, who looks up at him surprised. There’s a flicker of a moment before he realises what Ten is doing planted in front of him, and when it hits him, a smile plays with his lips. 

“May I?” asks Ten, with an exaggerated and comic reenactment of a gentleman, extending his palm for the designer, but under all the goofiness, he shakes as much as Taeyong when he holds his hand and they both look at each other for a second, emotions pooling in their stomachs. 

“I would be stupid if I said no”

He smiles and pulls from the older, helping him out of the car. 

He has parked the car in a rather empty zone, knowing that there’s not only the most private area of the plaza, but also the one that’s making Taeyong more nervous as he anticipates a surprise or something. Because right now there’s nothing huge to look at. 

Ten’s heart beats like a drum, guiding Taeyong behind the car in complete silence to enhance the tension created by the waiting. A smile tugs from his lips when he sees Taeyong frowning and he figures out that the older is about to whine and impatiently ask what’s going on. But he is cute while he tries to hold it in.

“Ready?” asks the model, both to tease him and because he himself is quite jumpy. 

The older nods, and so he clicks one of his car key’s buttons, opening the boot lid to reveal that he has filled the entire space with pillows, cushions and a big, fuzzy blanket that would envelope both of them on its cosy embrace. It’s all pink and white, just like Taeyong’s room. 

Taeyong’s eyes become all sparkles, there are thousands of little star fragments dancing inside them as if celebrating in a summer festival. He seems speechless, so much that Ten can't believe he has done that. 

His chest fills up with something that’s probably more than the average joy one feels in the daily. A part of him was fearing that Taeyong disliked the idea, but he pushes through and extracts the basket from the backseat. 

"It’s a picnic. I've got some food too" he announces, expecting Taeyong to say something back, but all he gots is a puzzled glance that makes him shake. "I thought that I would love to go stargazing with you, but it’s hard to do that in Seoul with all the lights and we had no time to drive back and forth to the countryside so I tried to find a good spot for night viewing, but it was too average and sort of boring to just walk around, but I wanted something intimate so… yeah” he coughs all of that out in a moment. Then he stops to stare at the designer again and smiles nervously. “Is it better than bowling?" 

"Are you joking?" Inquires Taeyong. The model feels like he is freezing in place with the tension, but then the older beams and his world almost stops on its tracks. "This is, and I'm not exaggerating, the prettiest thing someone has done for me" 

"Oh my god" exhales Ten humored, finally sitting on the puffy blanket that covers his trunk. More like collapsing there with the sudden relaxation of his system. "I thought you were about to say it's lame"

"What? No, no, no… it's perfect. Did you… like, put up this whole thing?”

He nods. “My neighbours looked weird at me when they saw me carry a whole bunch of pillows to the underground car park” he chuckles, rubbing his palm against his forehead as he remembered the embarrassing moment. 

“I'm speechless, Ten" 

"I just… I just wanted to be alone with you"

"Stop it!" He whines, slapping his shoulder with more pouts and tiny sounds of delight. "I really, really like this idea. Night viewing… sounds…"  _ Romantic _ . That’s what sounds like, and Ten knows, but Taeyong bites his tongue as their eyes lock. “Sounds soothing” 

"Good to hear… I’m glad you like it. Now I only have to exceed myself the next time" 

"It’s going to be hard," sings Taeyong, pulling up next to Ten. The boot is not so big, but it's spacious enough for both to sit together, lean back comfortably and still place the basket in the middle. "Because I really like this and can't think what else I would want. When did you start knowing me so well?" 

"I don't know, but I'm glad I do" 

The next glance from Taeyong is easier for him to recognize. Ten knows what those soft eyes mean, and even being scared to an extent, his heart can't stop speeding up. 

He clears his throat and shakes his head, opening the basket to focus on the food instead. 

"I made fruit sandwiches and ham and cheese pinwheels, I hope it's not too terrible" 

"You suck at cooking, don't you? I need to test that food quality… will you pass the test?" 

"Who do you think I am?" Jokes Ten "I'm not an idiot, I asked Jaehyun for help instead of screwing up our date" 

Taeyong giggles with him, but he whispers a small "The food wouldn't have ruined it"

"Better to not risk it"

Taeyong keeps laughing, seeing the lunchbox of pinwheels. There are a few ones that are perfectly rolled and holding well, and then there’s a row of slanted rolls that are clearly the ones that Ten made. He smiles to himself, taking one of the twisted ones, and eating it straight away. 

Soon, the model follows him up, munching in his own snacks. The taste is not bad, though, but he hopes Taeyong doesn’t think he is a disaster. 

Well, he sure  _ knows  _ Ten is a disaster indeed, but the model just wants to see Taeyong liking him despite his very-clearly-there flaws. 

"Ten" calls the older suddenly, making the model tilt his head to see Taeyong sitting with his legs crossed and holding his phone with hesitation. "You mind if I take pictures? Don’t worry, I won't post them" 

"Sure, baby. Should I pose for you?" Sings Ten, funnily striking a pose just as if he was working. "Take it prettily" 

"You don't need forced poses for that"

"No? Really? I was doing it for free…”

“But I can go to the magazines for that, right?”

“You want a candid then?" The older one nods shyly. “Alright then” Ten relaxes his shoulders and goes back to eating the snacks, cheeks puffing cutely as Taeyong takes a couple of pictures with a content smile. "How do I look?"

"Perfect, but I think that was a given"

“Sweet talker” accuses Ten with a grin on his face. "Okay, your turn"

"Uh?"

"Let me take some pictures of you too, you can post those, right? This light suits you" says Ten, stealing the phone from his hand and pointing the camera at him to make him pose a little. Taeyong moves to fake an apparently casual posture to look good in the picture. "Look at that, you are a natural"

Taeyong laughs, regaining his phone and looking through the results of the shooting, having to agree with Ten that he looks very good on those. 

It may be the happiness looming above him today. 

"Look at that, you are not a bad photographer, uh?”

“I studied photography” he blurts out as he bites another pinwheel. 

“What?” asks Taeyong, puzzled and with a spark of wonder. The sweetness of the ‘adjuncts little memos’ feels great if Taeyong is going to look at him everytime he says something about himself that Ten had considered completely irrelevant or unappealing. “Really?”

“In college. As a part of my art degree. I have an art degree” 

There’s something so pure and unexplainable in the way Taeyong holds his gaze. The kindness and vibrancy is overwhelming just by the way he stands, getting into Ten’s blood like a liquid that always makes him heady. 

“Really?”

“Yep. I don’t use it much right now because of the whole famous model ordeal” he explains with a humorous tone. “But it’s there”

“No wonder why you speak like you do when someone asks you about fashion. I should have guessed”

“You thought I’m just sharp and vibed with my words?”

“You are sharp besides smart” reasons Taeyong. “I just didn’t know… What else are you secretly talented at?” 

Ten can tell it’s a rhetorical question as a joke, but he smiles smugly. “Ice-skating”

“That’s a joke?”

“Nope, we should go to the ice rink some day” 

“I would fall on my butt”

“We  _ really  _ should go”

“You are evil… but I’m forgiving you for this picture” says Taeyong showing one of the shots Ten has taken of him where he particularly likes how he looks. “Should I drop my resume at your agency?"

"You should, but for designers" says Ten, all serious out of a sudden. "We would win a very good designer, don't you think?" 

"Stop it, right now" he chuckles, raising up a smile. "It’s my last warning or I swear to god it would be very difficult for you to excel yourself next time" 

Ten can't help it, he has to move in closer, snuggling against Taeyong.

"I'll have to try harder then" 

Taeyong smiles, and then he stops, noticing how close Ten has moved and how they are just a move away from kissing. Even their faces are naturally angling in the perfect way to end the gap that separates them, but for once he doesn’t want to. Because he likes the eyes Ten gives to him as they stand in that frozen instant that happens before the exchange. He likes how his stare softens and appears dazed, probably thinking thousands of things about Taeyong without noticing. 

Taeyong swallows and exhales over Ten’salmost parted lips. "Is this how you are when you are not holding back" 

The model seems to make a brief pause to then sigh. He leans back again to properly look at Taeyong as they speak. "How am I? Better or worse"

"None. Just  _ different _ "

"You don't like this side?"

"I love this side. I love your other side"

The designer stops himself before that sentence becomes longer than it should. Ten quietly nods, wondering if he is making things up. 

Taeyong smells good, but just with a faint scent of clean clothes that doesn't bother Ten’s nose, and he is warm and comfy as the model leans on him again, but this time he just rests his head on the older’s shoulder and closes his eyes. 

It's scary to stand like this, so relaxed while Taeyong grabs the blanket and pulls it over both of them like a wrapper. 

Ten knows the square is tranquil during night time and that he shouldn't be thinking the worst possible scenario, but he really can’t help to feel unsettled with the possibility of being discovered in this position with the designer. 

He can’t quit it either. 

He feels trapped in the limbo of wanting this and knowing that Taeyong doesn't deserve to be dragged into a scandal. 

It shouldn't be a scandal, it feels too right as the older man turns to him, wrapping his arms around his torso, and hugs him softly, chest rising and falling against his side when they lean back on the pillows with a star-less sky above them. 

"Why do you look so sad?" Whispers Taeyong on his ear, his hand softly rising to caress Ten’s cheek. 

The model’s eyelashes gently brush over his face, fanning on his skin ever so slightly.

"Do I look sad, baby?" 

"A little? And I don't really like that"

"When did you start knowing me so well?" Asks the model this time, mimicking Taeyong’s question from earlier. Thus, the confirmation of his gloom elicits a drop in Taeyong’s mood. Ten sighs, taking a smile to his lips to reassure his companion. "Don't worry, I'll be fine" 

"But-"

Ten doesn’t want to cut Taeyong down as he speaks, he could spend hours listening to him telling his thoughts away and making him feel like he had the gift of swimming inside his mind for a little while, but this time, he swallows down some courage and puts his finger on Taeyong’s lips with a shss. 

Taeyong seems surprised, but under Ten’s index, he appears to smile a little. 

And no matter how Ten looks like in the outside, if he is pretty enough to be Vogue's next cover or if a lot of people tries to slip their numbers on his coffee orders, because not a single of those things can help the vulnerability of being stared at like Taeyong is staring at him, inching closer and close until their lips meet softer than ever before. 

It really feels a lot different than back then. Thousands of worlds apart from the first, rash kisses at the back of his car. 

Ten goes by it, way too mindlessly, enjoying Taeyong’s tongue licking into his mouth, full of sweetness, all poured up by his precious Taeyong while the loving thoughts assault him irremediably.

He quite understand why he took all the detail to organize his trunk and turn it into a Pinterest picture scenario, why he packed all the snacks carefully, why his palms were sweating all the time as he waited. All that he hoped was that Taeyong felt happy, and that he was one of those things in the day of the designer that he could remember lovingly. 

Why did he text him back? 

Probably because it's stupid to keep his self-sabotage, insolating himself with his two cats in his apartment, but at least the cats were safe from the interest of the press and their constant chase. 

Taeyong hums and smiles against the puffiness of Ten’s lips, wrapping his arms around his neck with a happy exhale as he leans away just enough to catch air. 

"You can't make me forget everything with kisses, Ten" he warns, mildly, and the model knows that's absolutely true. He wouldn't want to hide stuff from him either, but if he could enjoy this for just a bit longer, he would be the happiest man alive. "You are close but you can't" 

“You sure?”

“Talk to me,  _ please _ ”

"What if I try the kiss method a little bit harder too?" 

The breathy, quiet snicker of Taeyong fills his heart up with joy and guilt. 

"Okay, try a little harder" 

Ten's heart struggles to keep the normal pace of its beats when Taeyong wraps up his sentence and his lips press down under his jaw with a sweet open kiss. The butterflies flutter all over his stomach as if he is in a fairy-tale, respiration shaking with nerves. 

He is falling at ease, and it doesn't disgust him at all but to the contrary it makes his soul swell. 

"Yah, Yongie" he breathes out, hearing the subtle humm of the other moving his lips up to his cheek. "Have some more patience with me" he just begs "Please, just for a while" 

"I have it practiced,  _ Tennie _ " 

The younger of the pair inhales deeply and the stargazing begins for him and Taeyong only.

*******

Taeyong is a 25 years old man that likes to enjoy a simple life, as long as it's happy, and for the course of two entire weeks, he does. 

One sure thing is that both Ten and him are too booked up to say they have plenty of free time, but it doesn't keep them from hanging out together. 

Never had, never will.

The netflix and chill is gradually becoming a lot more chill than it used to be, a thing that struck Taeyong once the model whined about not being able to find 'that fuzzy cushion' on Taeyong’s couch because it's now his favorite. 

He is aware of how he is getting used to seeing Ten's little freckle under his eye, so much that he ends up confessing in front of him that the mark once used to be attention calling from him because he found it cute. Then Ten had smiled his lovely smile and made Taeyong’s heart a playground. 

"What if I told you it's fake and I draw it everyday with an eye pencil?"

The designer giggles quietly, reaching a hand up to stroke it under his thumb as they both lean side by side -or more like Taeyong is sitting on top of Ten- on the livingroom's sofa. 

"It doesn’t seem to come off, so either Jaehyun lend you a very nice waterproof pencil or it's natural" 

"You'll never know"

"That's not correct, I could pull you into the shower and find out" 

"I would like that" sings Ten, suddenly taking to attention how much of an invitation Taeyong's words sounded like. 

To be frank, they had been putting the "fun" aside lately because, as Ten had said, they had been catching up in other fields. The last time it happened was at Jaehyun's party. For a couple of weeks they have been just hanging around sporadically to do the normal stuff, like spending the lunch break together to share a salad at Ten's agency courtyard garden or meeting at Taeyong's place at the times it was empty to watch movies and silly youtube videos together. It felt good, slow paced in a different way, but d ragging Ten into the shower suddenly appeared like a very appealing thought in Taeyong’s head. 

For sure, the heating up of Ten sparks on him has not died yet, and it didn't look like it would dissipate anytime soon. Shower with Ten sounded perfect and homelike. A domestic situation but with a wet, slick, naked Ten. 

"Yongie?" Calls the model, amused, snapping his fingers in front of him and his unfocused eyes as he traveled straight to a fantasy. "Did I hit a nerve?" 

"Nope" he lies, shaking his head a little and watching Ten’s eyes narrow. 

The wonder in his pupils makes the older go back to the memory of intense teasing that Ten had pulled off when they met, as his brain played with the possibility of turning the tables now that he knows Ten won't run away at the first turn of the wheel. 

"What is that evil smile about then?" Asks the younger, making Taeyong give him an even more smug gesture, biting the tip of his nail slightly with a sensual take. 

"I was just picturing us doing some fun stuff" 

"What was it?"

"It’s a secret" sings Taeyong, finding amusement on Ten’s frown. "Your phone is ringing" Points out the older, gesturing to the illuminated device over the table that shines with a curious contact name that reads 'Evil Lee 2', but the model waves his hand as dismissal.

"I can attend that later. Continue with what you were saying"

"Yeah, okay. So, talking about Jaehyun, you know that I saw him the other day?"

"Not that" Ten whines. "You are not going to tell me for real?"

"Didn't you hear me first? It's a secret" repeats Taeyong, way too amused. "So as I was saying, I was at the bakery this wednesday and Jaehyun came because-" 

"Why is it a secret?" Asks Ten again, this time leaning towards Taeyong to hug his hips, wiggling his hips under him, looking up at him with big eyes, just as if Taeyong would buy at this point that he is any innocent. 

He is very cute, though, when he is not trying to be a freak.

"Stop interrupting me, sweetie" mocks Taeyong.

"I want to know, it's not like we are shy about that now, right?"

"You have watched me do pretty nasty stuff to be ashamed now" confers Taeyong, remembering the particular night at Ten’s apartment. "But I also admit I could do worse" 

Ten's eyes grow foggy as they are locked with Taeyong’s, who is taking notes of the reasons why he can't be as annoying as Ten. His resilience when the model stares at him in that particular way of his is quite low.

"Show me that, babe, I wanna see"

"I'll write that down for later" 

That's the exact moment when he knows his plan has failed, buried in a ditch when Ten smirks. 

"Okay, so" murmurs the model without moving away from Taeyong. "You were in the bakery and Jaehyun appeared"

Taeyong can’t help but roll his eyes, eliciting a guffaw from the other man. He won't ever let Taeyong win. 

"Yeah"

"It’s because of your friend, Doyoung" he explains. "I think Jae kinda likes him or something, he told me he wanted to ask him to do something together but I don’t know if he actually did it"

"Maybe. Doyoung said they spent a long time speaking the other night"

"Poor Doyoung, Jaehyun can be really… tedious when he gets emotional, he could be boring him to death" 

"I don't think so, Doyoung is not the here and now kind of guy, I bet he appreciates the soft talk"

"Well, that's the beginning of something then" 

"I feel like a matchmaker," jokes Taeyong, airly. "First Jungwoo and Johnny and now those two are also getting together" 

"Did they actually end up dating? Jungwoo and Johnny" 

"They didn't say anything yet, but Doyoung has woken up too many days to Jungwoo having breakfast in their kitchen so I guess they are pretty much liking the mood. They must be, at least, friends with benefits" 

“Sounds familiar” jokes Ten, and they both chuckle due to obvious reasons. "Good for them, if they like each other then hook up, am I right? That's what I told Jaehyun to do, but he is… a bit more… chill. Not right here right now either, at least not in the first date"

"Give them time, I guess they can wait a bit longer and have a double date" jokes Taeyong. The lack of Ten’s high pitched laugh, however, doesn’t sit right, and so doesn’t the blank face of the model. Suddenly, Taeyong is shooting right to a reality he had forgotten. "I meant with Jungwoo and Johnny" he clarifies nervously, starting to ramble to go out of the awkward situation he has walked into. "Because Doyoung told me about Jaehyun too, so maybe they click together fine and-" 

"Does it bother you?" Asks Ten, finally seating up to look at Taeyong a bit more seriously. The older flinches, sitting on him and watching his attempt to dodge the awkward situation fail in front of his eyes. "I mean…  _ us _ "

"Us?" He whispers, trying the taste of the word on his tongue. He did not expect to have this conversation so soon, neither that it would be initiated by Ten, but he is willing to pin this down. He has to."Us"

"Yeah, the fact that… we are not included... in that plan"

"Us. You and I… it sounds big after how we started, you know? But at the same time, it doesn’t sound bad to me. What about you?" 

Ten bites down his lip, so Taeyong is even more scared of the answer now. 

"It’s… complicated" 

"Auch" mumbles Taeyong with a painful chuckle, trying to conceal the extension of the wound with a humorous gesture as if he was holding his heart. "That kinda hurts"

But bitch, it hurt a  _ lot _ . 

"No, no, don't get me wrong" Ten quickly corrects. His words definitely surprise Taeyong, whose sentiment turns bittersweet. "I actually like how it sounds too. Us" 

"You…? Yeah? You want to be in the plan? With me?" 

Ten makes the effort of putting a smile on his face just because of Taeyong’s cuteness, caressing his cheek with the back of his hand. 

"I would like that, but I don't want to get you in trouble" 

"Here we go again. How can I get in trouble by dating you?" 

The word sounds heavy when he kicks it into the conversation, but someone had to instead of keeping avoiding it like the plague, like they have been doing for god knows how long now. 

Suddenly the air fills Taeyong’s lungs as he remembers Ten's swoony eyes during their 'stargazing' date, as endeared as moody whenever the model looked at him and moved in closer to shyly -and yes, that’s even more surprising and clarifying, that Ten could do such things with a shy tilt- brush his lips with Taeyong’s. 

The older should have guessed that much but he has been blinded by that… extrapolated impostor syndrome of his that told him everything in between them was his one sided admiration for Ten instead of realising Ten was just as effing besotted, and even more scared than Taeyong himself. 

"You know the answer to that question" sighs Ten. "I told you… I bring all the press behind me”

“We already talked about this, Ten. I’m still here, I keep being here all the time, keep wanting to stay with you”

“But right now things are fine. The problem is when they are not, you know? It's hard for me to mantain secrets secret for too long even if I want to. Will you mind sleeping with so many people in our bed?" 

Taeyong didn't intend to make a pause in that exact moment of the conversation, but his brain couldn't catch up with his heart, so he kept quiet for a minute.

There were so many things to unfold in just a simple-looking question like that. 

It meant coming out to his mother to prevent a possible abrupt purprise, it meant being talked about as Ten's boyfriends everywhere instead of mentioning him for his design achievements, maybe even putting them down because come on, he was fucking Ten Lee, he knows there would be press hyenas ready to say he had no talent apart from being talented with his tongue. 

As he keeps delaying the answer, he can see the change in the depth of Ten's eyes, going lower and lower until Taeyong can finally see with no doubts that the younger must like him more than he ever planned, because it looks like his eyes are now glassy, lips almost a pout.

"Auch" whispers the model tremulously. "But I told you… Not many people want to be dealing with that" 

He can comprehend the reason behind Ten's movement. He knows he is standing up just to leave, and he can barely take it. 

"No, wait" he finally says, reactivating. "I just need time"

"Now? You were the one who told me to speed it up" he says, voice as hurt as it comes. He has a point, but Taeyong can’t help feeling upset by the bite back. “You told me that I was slow paced, and asked me about us right now”

"Don't come back at me with that" protests the older. "It’s actually you who move like a rollercoaster. If you are scared, don't put the weight of declining the chance on me, just say you are scared!" 

"Of course I am scared" he admits under his breath. “So much, I’m  _ terrified _ . Because I don’t want you to go, but I know that you might want to”

Taeyong doesn’t really know what he should say now, because everything he expected from Ten and more has come out. 

He has always wished to know how Ten was behind the flawless photoshoots and the careful interviews, he had aimed to discover if Ten was an amiable person, finally turning out to be a lovable person. Under all his insolence, there was the core of Ten, and it was a small, scared man that just wanted to be a little bit more free. 

Taeyong despises arriving at the deeper core of him like this, arguing and when Ten looks like he is about to tear up. 

“Say something, for fuck’s sake” 

Taeyong opens his mouth and then closes it again. He wants to grab him and pull him in a hug while he strokes his black hair and tells him everything is alright, but the thing is that not everything is okay. Not yet, at least. Taeyong really needs a break to digest the events, so much that he barely registers the meaning behind Ten’s attempt to keep him near. 

They look at each other as the fancy phone of the model goes off again with a buzzing, annoying sound over the coffee table. Next, they move on to look at the vibrating device just so they have an excuse to divert their attention from how low the mood has sunk. 

"It’s Mark, I should pick up, maybe it's something important. I also should… get going, it's late and I have to work for a change" 

Taeyong hums very slowly, and nods hesitantly. 

"You'll call, right, Ten?" 

The model presses his lips on a tight smile, fingers messing with Taeyong’s silvery locks to pull him closer. He has to stand on his tiptoes a little bit, but he leaves a soft kiss on Taeyong’s forehead. 

"Of course, baby"

“You better” he sniffs. “I know where you live” 

“Fiery kitten…” 

*******

Ten was taking a long time to hit Taeyong’s phone. 

Something in the designer is already ringing all the possible alarms inside his brain and heart, but he wants to keep one of his trust votes for Ten and give him time. 

Again. 

He has never been good at waiting for him to text him, and two full days are more than he can take. He doesn’t even think he can reach midnight without crowding their chatroom with questions and it's already 8pm. 

However, his phone rings. 

The number that shows up on the screen is not one he has registered, not a digit he can remember or associate with anyone, so he scrunches his nose. 

He doesn’t really like unexpected phone calls from random people, he is a millennial, he is tough at email, not at impromptu conversation. But he can’t be bothered with having the line busy when Ten chooses his time so, as pathetic as it can be, he picks up to get rid of it as soon as he can. 

"Good evening, this is Lee Taeyong. I am sorry but I don't take work calls at this time, please c-"

"Hold on, Taeyong"

"Mark?" He asks, quite surprised to hear the personal assistant's voice through the speaker. Whatever the reason for him to be calling, Taeyong can't think of any good outcome. "You've got my personal number?"

"I took it from Ten just in case" 

"In case of what?"

"Listen up, hyung, don't get scared, okay?" Begins the smaller of the two, creating the opposite reaction in Taeyong. 

"Why should I be?" 

"Is Ten with you, by chance?" Taeyong's brain shutter and his tongue is frozen trying to process the question. Ten knew it. He knew it would come. Taeyong should have texted him first, at least that way he wouldn't be propelled into panic at the sudden thought of Ten being missing. "Taeyong? Can you hear me?"

"He is not with me" he finally articulates with a strangled voice. "Is he… alright?"

"That's a good question, hyung" sighs Mark at the other side of the line. He sounds tired, which doesn't help Taeyong settling down either. "How do I put it? Sometimes catching the eye is good for models, but some other times it's a big disadvantage because… information is money and Ten doesn’t keep that up well"

"Mark, please" moaned Taeyong through the phone, hoping that this wouldn't turn out to be what he thinks it is and holding into a candent iron. "Tell me it didn't went down like that" 

Mark pauses, sighing before he can resume the talk with the scripted lines of a very specific paragraph somewhere in his contract that Taeyong learns just like that, but the sound is enough for Taeyong to feel his soul sinking, covering his mouth with his hands and letting the tears flow. 

"I recommend you to not open your social media today, it might be overwhelming. As for going out in public, we-" 

"But this wasn't supposed to be like this!" Burst the designer, not minding if he is revealing too many of his secrets or if Mark doesn't really have anything to do with the relationship he has with Ten despite being friends with the model. "This can't happen right now, we needed to solve things with each other, we needed time, I needed time but I didn’t mean it like this, I don’t-" 

"Hyung" cut Mark, softly. The kid is all the gentle the sun could be or at least he is trying his best for Taeyong. "I know this is very unfortunate given the situation, I don’t like that things have to be like this and I know… it might be hard for you, but sometimes things don't happen the way we like and still work out"

"You don't understand" sobbed Taeyong, spilling more tears from his eyes. "I just don't want to mess this up, I like Ten so much and I thought… we had some work to do to get there, but that we will. And I made him upset last time because it’s hard to figure things out, just because I thought this would take more time to go out, and now everything is spoiled”"

"What I’m trying to say is… Ten-hyung can look like he has everything pinned down, but he is more of a coward on the inside" 

"That's why, he was doubtful before and now he is going to cut it out because this is ridiculous… because I said I had to think things well..."

“Hyung, that’s normal, it’s not wrong…”

“But what now? What now!?”

"Taeyong, listen. Don’t freak out. He is probably scared to death now just thinking you are going to step back" says Mark, actually surprising the older who tries to appease his clipped sobs to make a question. “Don’t think of Ten as the model, he is just a boy having a heartache because his crush doesn't know what to do with the situation and the situation went ahead of them both. Well, okay, it’s not the best thing that could happen but it’s not unsolvable” 

Mark should know a lot about Ten's concerns, he is always with him after all. Everyone could tell their relationship went beyond the work colleagues with a mere look, they were more like blood brothers, so Taeyong would be a little fool man if he didn't listen to his advice in a moment like this. 

"You think he likes me enough for that?"

The quiet and tired giggle that comes to Taeyong through the phone shocks him, and calms part of his rushed up mind. 

The designer tries a deep breath in. 

"Hyung, you may not notice it, but Ten is very attached to you. I get it, maybe he tries to fool you making it look like he is keeping his heart steady, but he can’t lie to me, I know how much shit the agency has been giving him for hanging around with you and still he pushed through because it was better to be annoyed by the staff than ditching you. You understand what I'm saying?" Says Mark, leaving Taeyong’s mouth agape for a solid second. “And just because Ten knows you have the right to decide if you want to get under the pile of shit instead of pushing you he gets unsettled often knowing he would have to say goodbye and respect your choice”

Taeyong never thought that Ten was doing all that effort on his behalf without saying a word, he just assumed that Ten wasn’t too interested in their thing and could get himself any other toyboy to amuse himself.

It makes sense now to cover the candy with a layer of itching powder. 

His head starts aching as the sensations start crushing down, hurt for pressuring Ten to move when all that Ten did already meant a lot in his own way of saying it. He was also upset that the model didn't share those concerns with him before, in words. 

Everything was… well, as he had said, complicated. 

"But… why didn't he tell me, Mark? Fuck, he is a fucking dumbass" 

"Yeah, you can discuss his terrible coping mechanisms later, but now I hope we could find him and check he is alright. Can you help me with that?"

Taeyong’s sobs come back slowly as he tries to whip off his tears and clean his face. 

"I wish I could, but I just… I don't know where he can be" 

"It’s okay, try to calm down first. Jaehyun went to check if he is at home, but we highly doubt that. I'll go to search for him too, I'll let you know when we get him" 

"I… I'll try too" finally blurts out Taeyong. "I know a couple of places where I can check" 

"Okay but be careful out there, and if the press gets to you I tell you you should send them to hell, is valid when they keep babbling about your life" 

"Yeah. Sure"

"We'll talk later, hyung. Everything is gonna be alright, don't worry"

"A bit late for that" joked Taeyong, holding onto humor to cope with the situation a little bit better. "Talk later, Mark. Thanks" 

The call ends like that, and it honestly leaves Taeyong cold, staring at his screen as the call fades away and he is left with his lockscreen of Ten sitting at his car's trunk with a silly and fun smile, and the myriad of notifications that start getting cloudy as minutes pass, ranging from a good amount of new follows, mentions, comments in his post and more. 

He sighs, as his eyes catch the few first lines of comments and the topic in question. 

"He's so pretty I would date him too, i hope they are happy together they look super cute 🥰" 

"You can tell by his looks that he is a gold digger lol i wonder if Ten can't tell or if he just doesn't care as long as he keeps him company you know what i mean" 

"lmfaaaaoooo"

"nah cancelled"

"Why are the comments like this? Is 2020 and you still can't be tolerant because they are gay? I'm moving out of this country" 

"Damn, I don't know who I'm more jealous of"

"really? his designs aren't bad but ten could do better, just saying" 

"my dads"

"Ugh, disgusting" 

"🤡🤡🤡"

"he's gay what a waste" 

"How much 💸 you think he pays for that bitch to stay? Want myself some pretty pet too lol"

"Some people do anything to sell their products nowadays, no matter if you have to work overtime uh?"

"Shut up y'all they look good im jelous maaa" 

"thank you lee taeyong or whatever now everything is ruined" 

He knows that if he keeps reading, online words would yank his tears out again and he would keep wasting time weeping in his room while he could go outside and try to tell Ten he didn’t want him to go. 

Because, after all of that, Jaehyun had a point while guessing him, and Taeyong didn't back out of things he really wanted that easily. 

And yes, he is a 25 year old man that likes to be happy with a simple life, but sometimes life refuses to be simple and gets you to fight for the things that make you happy. 

Ten is worth the try, they can make it work, and it's unfair that some random individuals being too idle in their lifes to not be meddlesome online, are going to fuck up his real life relationships with thr best man he has crossed ways with. 

Only them could fuck up their relationship if they ever wanted. 

Dammit!

He presses the "delete all" button in his notification bar watching how thousands of words get erased, since he really doesn't need that now. 

He needs to try, at least  _ try _ .

Taeyong closes his eyes and tries to steady his breath and calm his mind, maybe even get rid of the painful dizziness that stress is injecting into his skull. 

When he is sighing and about to get up from his bed to go outside, the phone rings again, this time with Doyoung’s name on the screen. 

His friend must have read all that's going on already, and that doesn’t help Taeyong settling down, but he still picks up the call because he knows Kim Doyoung well enough to know that a missed call right now could send his friend into a bloody rampage against the world. As annoying as he may be sometimes, Doyoung is too caring and loyal to keep it lowkey. 

"Doyoung?" 

"Taeyong"

"Oh… oh" Taeyong’s brain goes through a bump as the voice greets him through the phone's speaker, and then quickly does some maths before he could continue speaking. "Jaehyun, it's you" 

"Yeah, I'm sorry if I startled you but I didn't know if you had my phone number and I didn’t want to stress you out with an unknown call now" explained the make-up artist gently. As the second call in half an hour, Taeyong could at least say that he counted with the support of Ten's friends plus Doyoung. On a tad bitter side, though, they seem like they were too ready to front this situation already and he failed to dodge the hit. "How are you? Everything going fine?" 

"As fine as it can go, Jae"

"Well, you shortened my name so that's a good signal" chuckles the younger. He sounds honest. "We are at Ten’s apartment"

"We?"

Jaehyun lets out a humored and yet shy giggle.

"I was out with Doyoung when Mark informed me of the… mishap. He decided to come with me so I couldn't say no, could I?" he explains, quickly moving on. "I came to the apartment first just in case he was here not to look like a moron trying to find him around"

"But he ain't there, right?" Asks Taeyong, holding the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he picks up a jacket and his cross bag in order to leave the house. For once, he doesn’t care that much about his outfit, made up from shorts with a plain white shirt and slippers. "He wouldn't make things so easy for me, the pretty gold digger" 

"Ah, don't read online, Taeyong, those things are like a dumpster most of times"

"I'm joking, I just… stumbled with some of them. At least there were cute ones too. I'm going out to get him, if you wanna chill with Doyoung…"

"Don't say that, we'll help. And Taeyong?"

"Yeah?"

"You really are not. Nothing of what they say is true, and Ten knows that too, so don't give yourself a hard time since you already have enough to deal with"

"Okay, Jaehyun, thank you"

"Wait" calls the make-up artist before Taeyong can hang up. 

"Yeah?"

"Taeyong?"

"Doyoung?" 

"Yeah. Are you okay, dude?" 

"I'm…" Taeyong makes a pause. Of course he is not alright, he feels betrayed by the entire world, angry with nosy people, sad and also worried about Ten, but Doyoung probably knows that for a fact and wants to hear whether his friends can front this now or if he is in the ball of blankets, ice-cream and tears level. "I'll be fine when I know if Ten is safe, just that"

"You wanna be with him? It would be okay if you-"

"I know, but no"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Doyoung, I want to be with him, really. I know this sucks but… it would suck even more without him"

"It’s okay, I just wanted you to know there's nothing you have to be obligated to do"

"I know, don't worry, but I'm choosing this"

"I will support you whatever thing you choose. And even if I pick on him… I like Ten, you know? I love how happy he makes you and how he always makes sure you are okay" 

Taeyong swallows another sob down because if he lets go of it, he wouldn’t stop as easily as before and he wants to drive with a clear vision field. 

"Thank you for saying that, I hope he is okay and everything goes well"

"Okay. Hear me out, when you are done we are going to kill those reporters, okay? I'm going to end them for you" 

"Thanks, Doie" he whispers. And it’s not because he believes Doyoung is going to turn into his personal hit man, but he knows his friends is as caring as they come, and probably even madder than Taeyong at the moment, so his heart beats hard for the love of his friend. "I love you"

"I love you too, Tae. Talk later then, go find your prince" 

*******

The first reaction that Taeyong had was, of course, to reach for his kakaotalk and check if there was any text from Ten, but there wasn’t so he texted first. 

[09:34] Babyboy💕: Ten, I heard the news

[09:34] Babyboy💕: It's okay, I promise 

[09:34] Babyboy💕: Are you okay, baby?

[09:34] Babyboy💕: Where are you?

Of course, there was no reply and not even the read sign next to the messages, but Taeyong could have guessed that much, because Ten probably didn't want to check his busy phone either.

He tried calling him too, a couple times in a row, but he didn’t pick up. That worried Taeyong a little bit more but then he thought that if reaching out for Ten was so easy, Mark wouldn't have needed to involve him in all of that without all the tact the boy probably had wanted. 

It was then when Taeyong decided to leave. 

It's late in the afternoon, becoming the night already and he can't avoid bumping into his mother, returning from the store, when he reaches the front of their building.

"Taeyongie, sweetie, where are you going?" she asks, concerned as she is probably reading a few red flags in the unusually casual aspect of his son, his reddened and still glossy eyes or his hurry. "Is everything alright?"

"Mom" he whispers, taken with his guards down. Another of the situation's shocks come back at him to haunt him. This is not how he ever planned to be coming out to his very own mother. "I'm… I'm sorry, mom, I have to go. Sorry" 

He really starts tearing up once again, but he pushes through and walks down the street to find his car.

"Yah, Taeyong!" Shouts his mother to make herself be heard in the distance. "Are you fine? Tell your mother if you need something, alright? We talk later!" 

He pulls up in his car and closes the door, leaning on the wheel for a few seconds and trying to catch his breath before his brain goes overwhelmed. 

She will understand when she knows everything, she has to. Taeyong trusts his mother to support him no matter what but, right now, he needs to sort things out with Ten first or everything will be a vain effort. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, once more saying thank you because this got 300 kudos and I can't believe this!! I'm going to use the situation to boost my kofi a little, reminding you that there's a link in my twitter bio if you want to!!
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	22. Pretty, savage

Where to find an upset model that wants to hide from the world? 

That's something that not many people have to ask themself seriously during their life, but it's Taeyong’s case at the moment. Mostly because it's been a while already since he doesn’t see Ten as only the model, and granted that he still appreciates that side of him, and his talent; but it's just one of the many other things now. 

He has to wreck his brain, think hard whilst his forehead leans on the steering wheel trying to think where to fucking go instead of how he just dodged his mother because he doesn't have even a remote idea of how to come out to her. 

His body shakes announcing to him that he is crying just before he can see the fat, hot tears plunging down from his eyes; but he is not willing to let the hysteria take control over him, so he snaps his head up, wipes the river flowing from his eyes on the back of his arm and clasps his hands on the wheel. 

The thought of Ten alone somewhere causes his determination to shoot through borders. The worst thing he could do right now is chicken out and let the whole thing go to hell at the will of disgusting press vultures. Not in his damn watch, Taeyong wasn’t born a quiter, that's been already made clear. 

He takes a deep breath in and tries to focus on locations. 

He first thinks about the plaza from Ten's and his last date, but there are several hours left until dinner time so Gwanghwamun Square would be full of people with their cameras and other tourists doing their tourist stuff, which makes it not an option. 

Shit, that's why they had been mainly meeting at Taeyong’s apartment, making the most out of the time when Taeyong was alone and  _ supposed _ to be working. 

Hiding from his mother and from the entire population of Seoul. 

_ And for what?  _ To end up like this, not knowing where to go to find him and with his heart on his hand just praying to the heaven that he hadn’t do anything stupid like taking a fucking train to run away from the city or something. 

The worst part is that Taeyong has to picture the place in the outside world where Ten could be at, because he clearly wasn't at his apartment -even thought Taeyong would have loved that- and that’s the only place Ten uses as usual hideout. 

Where to go? Not to his house, nor the company because they had been already checked and unless he had retracted back to the closet in a symbolic act, he wasn't there. But besides those, what other places could Ten go when he needs to be away from the mediatic, incessant eyes of the public?

The antique camera store, maybe? That's stupid, for more than Taeyong knows Ten likes to collect them, it's not a hide place. 

The river shores? He loves it and it reminds him of his hometown, which he had told Taeyong many times through their daily texting, attaching precious pictures of the beginning of summer by the shore on his way home. But it's also too crowded at this hour of the date, with couples, friends and family camping at grass areas to have dinner and hang out. 

He contemplates a couple of cafeterias they both like to show up where the baristas have already assumed they come in a pack, the protection of animals cafe and the beauty store but those sound more like Ten’s happy places than anything else. 

The art museum? Well, that’s not so stupid.

After all, the modern art museum had been the place where Taeyong had taken Ten when he decided that he wanted a bit more from him exactly because it wasn't too visited even at weekends, and Ten also enjoyed the pieces a lot and engaged with art. 

An introverted art student, that’s what Ten is at the end of the day. How fast the night changes when you really know a person. 

He may be grasping at straws, but Taeyong doesn’t have that many options to begin with, so he starts the car and drives through the city towards the museum the more calm and according to traffic rules that he can. He doesn’t need another scandal for driving like a madman, he has enough for sucking a model’s dick.

He chuckles bitterly for himself while in the car as he thinks that. After all, it is not a lie that he went on his knees at the most unexpected situation, and that he behaved nasty and wild with Ten, but is that a valid reason to judge him? As if people didn't do that in the daily. Even the reporter, whoever it was that leaked the information, probably went downtown on their partner before, but just because Ten is famous, the same ones that had fun like that are the ones that say he must behave like a flawless church boy. 

The designer is quite mad at that, obviously. 

He wonders what pesky photography of him and Ten is going around the internet to ignite the first spark of the mediatic flame. It could be whatever, it could be them chilling at a cafeteria during the last couple of weeks or it could be a way more private picture of them dancing on the backseat all naked. 

If it's one of the last ones, he is truly doomed. 

His fingers go to mess with the radio, not really knowing the buttons he is pressing due to his eyes focused on the road, he just presses buttons and hopes for a dial to sound without being something related to his problem being discussed in a panel. 

Finally, he bumps into a random pop song from a girl group, way too cheery for his mood now, but he lets it sound and drown his thoughts in their happy lyrics about going out and having fun with friends. 

After the longest fifteen minutes the designer has ever had the displeasure to live, he arrives at the museum's parking lot and leaves his car in the first spot he sees convenient, just well positioned enough to don’t disturb others because he has no time to maneuver plus he is too nervous to give himself more trouble. 

There's just a bunch of cars scattered here and there, so it is not like he is obstructing anyone's transit. 

He runs up the stairs and gives four thousand wons to the lady at the counter with an impressive easiness from someone that doesn’t really know if he is going to spend more than ten minutes inside the halls, probably running, lamenting and making the security guards scold him for behaving like a brat around the artworks. 

At least he has the decency of not screaming Ten’s name from the rooftops while he dives in the domains. 

The first rooms are open with wide arcs to let the natural light pass, and he walks fast past them, moving across one, and then two and three rooms, paying no mind to the pieces whatsoever. 

He feels beyond stupid, his hopes of his idea to succeed getting weaker with each room he visits and finds empty or just populated with a couple of late students filling asigments or a curious grandma brooding over modern art meanings. 

Only people that’s not Ten, hence people Taeyong doesn’t give a damn about at this glorious moment. 

The dizziness installs on his head as he tries to find himself in the maze of rooms with the passing images of dozens of paintings and installations, mixed with the rush and his lack of air that anxiety consumes faster. 

He feels like he is running out of breath and time, as if the more he leaves Ten out there, the more difficult it would be to put everything in place. Just like a trail of dominoes, the more of them they fall from a faux hand move, the harder it is to put it back up. 

And then, he sees him. 

He can't mistake the black, grown-out bangs peeking from under a gray oversized hoodie and the perfect profile of his high nose. The loose hoodie is paired with those thin and casual trousers that Ten wears when he is lazy, being these one with a maroon plaid pattern. His small physique is sat on a wooden bench in front of an installation that Taeyong recognizes.

Wind imprints. 

His heartbeat rate goes up, as he wonders if Ten is here just because it reminds him of their date, or if he is reminiscing the times where they were better together. 

Or maybe, in a very deep part of his being, Ten wanted Taeyong to find him instead of burying a whole in the ground and disappearing. 

Taeyong doesn’t know what to say or how to approach him, and he possibly should have asked Mark for some guidance in case he was the one to get to him first. Nonetheless, his subconscious mind -his heart, in other words- should be sure of how to act like, making Taeyong advance through the room until he is right behind the model and all that surges out of him and his body is to wrap his arms around Ten from behind. 

The model jolts in surprise, gasping out loud with the impact of the older's body against his back, but Taeyong can’t let him go in the slightless and buries his face on the crook of his neck and shoulder, exhaling with relief and breathing in sharply to capture the drowningly strong scent of his perfume. 

Ten tilts his head, trying to guess what in the world is going, only to find Taeyong tilting his face up towards him too, their eyes lining up. 

The model's gaze changes, all the emotions he is under flashing through him. He opens his mouth with that stained glass look on his eyes. 

"You knew it, didn’t you?" says Taeyong before Ten can make his intervention. “When you told me to have patience with you for a little more, you knew it would happen, right? You knew it had a finite date” 

"Taeyong..."

"Don't fucking dare worrying me like this again in your entire life, Chittaphon, or it’ll be me who would tear you appart and not the press!" 

Ten keeps looking at him, his eyes shining and suddenly looking like he really is the youngest of the two for the first time, and that counting with the fact that Taeyong’s voice has cracked so audibly in his last statement. 

It's the sadness and the tint of fear in Ten's glance what makes Taeyong want to cry and sob again. 

His eyes look puffy, and a shadow of tiredness settles under them. All of Taeyong can think is that, if he has been crying for almost a couple of hours, Ten should have been going crazy for longer since he received news way earlier. 

He clutches Ten against him, as if he is trying to protect him from someone who's attempting to steal him from his arms. Which is sort of what’s going on. 

“Did you know how worried I was!?” he moans, holding back his tears. “Stupid fucking dumbass!” 

"Did you… did you… hear the news?" 

"Yeah… yes, in part" sighs Taeyong, sniffing as he gets to make the salty water go back to where it belongs. "Mark hit my phone to tell me, and then Jaehyun called too, but I haven't really gone through the articles yet. I want to let you know, thought, that I'm a gold digger, a talented cock slut and the father of some people online" 

His chuckle doesn't seem to lift Ten’s mood, and in fact, it looks like all it does is get him even sadder and fill his eyes with more tears. 

"Don't say that” he begs, his voice braking when a drop breaks the border of his lower lash line and plunges onto his cheek. Taeyong’s heart sinks like a tin soldier in a puddle. “I hate it, how the talk about you… it's disgusting, it's exactly the thing I wanted to keep you away from”

"I'm sorry, I'm taking it with some humour. You know? Trying" 

"Are they really writing that about you?" He asks, trying to speak over his sobs. “That you are a gold digger? Really? That’s what they fucking wrote?”

Taeyong presses his lips in a thin line and tries to lift the corner to give something hopeful to hold on for the model. 

"Listen, It’s annoying but… it's not a big deal. I know what the truth is and that's what matters to me"

"Why did you come?" Aks Ten, blatant, running over the older that didn't expect things to get real so fast. 

It’s been only a couple of days since they parted from each other with the bitter feeling of the argument, and it was Taeyong who had hesitated in the moment of giving an answer. Ten’s fears were all about Taeyong’s decision of staying around or not when things became ugly, and right now, they were standing at the frontier. 

A part of Ten expected Taeyong to wave goodbye right now. 

Meanwhile, the older trembled again, at a loss of words. He had been thinking about fixing things up with Ten for the last couple of days, his mind had barely gone anywhere else but that fucking topic. He had been thinking about living without him too, but the dark and cold view of the world he got from a situation in which he had to deal with the loss scared him to the core. 

He felt a void whenever his thoughts pondered about days to come without Ten sending him cute texts and photos of his cats, without someone so important to whom he had opened more and more without noticing, who knew his problems and concerns and the things that made him smile with joy. The sweet Ten, whose way to prepare tea had caught up with Taeyon’s preferences and always had the perfect amount of sugar that the older liked. 

For two days his mind had been running in circles, ordering the ideas of what he wants to be for Ten. And the answer is ‘all’. It had always been all. 

Nonetheless he forgot to think about the proper words or how to put the facts he wants to clear down.

Ten is staring at him in silence, motionless as his tears plunge down from his eyes. 

"Because I don’t want this to end," he finally says, after a couple of minutes that have been like centuries to the model. His breath seems to hitch, but so does Taeyong’s. "And there's no way I want to rush you to choose what to do about me, but I don't want to let other people decide when we should work our things out or how, you know? I don’t know how the future is going to be, but I want to let you know… I’m staying to find out. And if you want to stay too, I’ll be happy for that, I’ll be happy that this starts moving just like we want and not how the others want. Because this is all about us" 

"Are you serious with this, Taeyong?" Asks the model, turning around this time to face him, so Taeyong sits down on the bench near him to match his height and looks at him eye to eye. "Even with all that’s happening? With people taking the freedom of judging you like that because of me?" 

"It had to come. I know, it's not ideal but… but  _ still _ " 

"Still? You wanna try still?"

"You said not many people are up to go through this, right?" says Taeyong, and the younger nods, his eyes still scared of what he is going to hear. "I'm up. I’m not going to be such a coward when it’s you who I’m playing with, and if you still want to give us a chance..." 

"I… I can't make you do that for me, it's awful and vile and selfish and..."

"You are not holding me at gunpoint" says Taeyong, remembering the way Ten had cheered him up when Taeyong blamed himself for the mess stirring his friend's relationship. "And yes, there are things there that I don’t like at all, but I'm a person that… wants to challenge himself and go through some obstacles if the reason is worth it"

“You know how it feels being the one that makes life difficult for you?”

“Yes. Why do you only see the faults in yourself? Neither of us would have this problem without the other, we are two people in this relationship”

“But I’m the one that made them find you and talk about you like that”

“And I’m the one that stole the fashion community’s most wanted bachelor"

"But... it's terrible"

"Would it be better without you? It  _ wouldn't _ . It would suck double or triple the cost. Ten, it’s really a give and take here” 

Ten continues staring at the older. He appears to be tired enough to have run out of his talkativeness, but he leans on Taeyong’s chest and wraps his arms around his neck, burying his face on his shoulder. 

There's not really a reason to keep those public shows of affection in their pocket. 

“So you… what do you…want?”

“ _ Stay.  _ Together, like this”

"What if you find out that I'm not that worth the trouble, Yongie? I don’t want to mess up with your life so bad. If you want to leave afterwards… this is something that would be on your track record, wherever you go"

"Listen, I know. The point is that I'm here with you now and I know that people is writing about me, about you… posting and reposting the picture… but I don't dislike that  _ enough _ . It makes me happy that I can be in front of you without worrying about being caught" explains Taeyong, sitting on the bench with his legs crossed and prompting his elbows on Ten’s knees."I don't care that much about the rest of the world, Ten. Because I’m here with you"

"I'd rather be at home" says Ten, gloomy. "But I didn't want to be alone in my empty house with everyone waiting at the building’s front door"

It breaks Taeyong’s heart to watch him fall apart, but he is glad that Ten is no longer keeping him away from the full pack of sentiments. At least he is talking to him about all his fears and preoccupations. 

"Let’s go home, then. You won’t be alone" 

"Are you coming?"

Taeyong makes a sudden pause. "Do you want me to?"

"Yeah" the model breathes out, ever so slightly that they barely hear it. "If you really want to do this, I may as well seize the opportunities I have. Honestly? There’s really nothing I want more than  _ this _ " 

That is the difference. Ten saying what he wants despite his worries. Ten confessing he wants Taeyong right in front of the latter's face. For him, for his ears only to hear and eliciting a smile that brightens up Taeyong’s face in a way that climbs up to his eyes with a flash of light. 

"So… you and I?"

"You and I" nods Ten, looking for Taeyong’s hand to lace their fingers together. "I still like how it sounds…us”

“Me too” smiles Taeyong. "It sounds like it's meant to be" 

“And Taeyong... I like that you want to try. I really really like that, you don’t know how much"

“Yeah?”

“Yeah”

"Shall we start now? Give it a try to see how it feels? What about a very public kiss?" 

The smile returns to Ten’s face, still a bit weak but present nonetheless. And although Taeyong has proposed that idea to the model out of the mere hope to make him laugh about the situation and begin understanding that taking it with humour like him is the best coping mechanism, Ten holds his face in his hand and leans on to join his lips with Taeyong’s. 

It's the sweet emotion flowing from Ten and his gentle, gradual hold when he wraps his arms around Taeyong’s waist that really calms the designer after the couple of hours of desperation and worry. It's short, barely longer than a peck, but it makes the older smile when they part. 

"It was a good choice, confirmed"

"Your lips always taste like strawberry milkshake"

"Shut up" pouts Taeyong, pushing him back by his shoulder playfully with a blushy face and a funny pout. 

"It’s true. I like it, it's sweet and fresh like you, and the flavour always stays for a while after you are gone"

"Shut up!" He repeats, both laughing and still crying a little, with tears that they no longer can distinguish as sad, worried or joyful. "And let's go home" 

"Sure"

"Oh, okay, but wait a minute. I almost forgot, I have to send some texts, Mark was worried for you" 

"Shiiit, shit, shit" goes Ten, rubbing his eyes as if he was coming out from a dream, or more likely, a nightmare. "I'm sorry, I spaced out and didn’t want to hear anything so I turned my phone off. Tell him I'm sorry"

"I think he knows," says Taeyong as a cheer up motive, patting Ten's thigh and letting the model go back to lean on his shoulder to bury his face on his neck. "But I'll tell him"

"You don’t need to pretend I wasn’t acting all stupid" 

"Yes, you were" concedes Taeyong, laughing softly at Ten’s cute pout when he looks at him again and typing a reassuring message for the personal assistant. Probably a part of Ten wanted to be lied to with soft words and be told he wasn't. He is too cute when he gets pouty and whiny for Taeyong. "Promise me you are never running again like a sulky teenager ever again, Ten. Promise me you'll tell me if something goes wrong or you want to be alone… because next time I will either lose my mind or slap you when I get to you”

“I’m sorry… I just… I didn’t want to be at home. Well, yes I did, but in peace. I didn’t want to be anywhere where I heard anything”

Taeyong presses his lips on a line, playing with Ten’s long hair between his fingers. “You worried us, but we all have stupid moments some times, right? Because we are human. It's like when I dressed all up and played the slut role with you" 

"You looked marvelous tho, so we can forgive that"

"So good that you can forgive me? Wow, I should become a stylist if the designer thing dies" Jokes Taeyong, still typing while his arms surround Ten, this time to send a message to Jaehyun. Then he looks back at the younger with his lips curling up. "Tell me, was it there?"

"What was there?"

"When we became so talked about? Was my sluty scene at Jaehyun’s the source of news?" 

"You are taking it lightly, uh?" Inquires the younger, apparently joining the cynic mood, judging by his smirk and his pose when he tilts back and prompts himself on his arms. "But no, not there. Jaehyun would never allow journalists into his parties. It's been a bit longer since the press was rubbing their hands together like flies. You really didn't look at the picture, I see. Good choice"

"Maybe later"

"Don't" whines Ten, pushing Taeyong towards him. He seems to be recovering his bravery where he prefers to comfort Taeyong. Perhaps all that he wanted to know was whether he could breathe and take Taeyong’s hand back home or if he would just have to sleep in a cold bed for the rest of his life "It’s useless unless you want to give yourself some awkward moments and a headache"

"Okay" says Taeyong softly, liking the way Ten takes care of him. "But tell me what's the picture. Oh my god, tell me is not one from when we were at the backseat, please"

"God no, we would be truly doomed if that was out" laughs Ten, recalling the level of obscenity they put over each other when their passion ignited the first time. "Just us being very clingy when we were waiting for the car to pick us up at Fashion Week. I didn’t know we were so all over each other but I guess we didn’t leave a lot to the imagination of whoever took that picture and posted it first" 

"Oh shit. I should have been more careful, I'm sorry"

"Don't be" waves out Ten, pleasing Taeyong even more. That’s more of what he remembers of his model's attitude. "Remember that night? I wouldn't like this to spoil my memory of it, it was great. And I wasn’t less needy at that moment, I also had those begging eyes when looking at you… very clarifying when looking at it" 

"Well, if you liked it so much… the night, I mean… we can repeat what we did" suggests Taeyong, growing more optimistic and confident, scooting closer and dragging a finger down Ten’s neck. Maybe being caught in a dating scandal wouldn’t turn so bad for him after all, it was a little push for their relationship. An ultimatum, one can say. "You said you want to go home"

"And it's true"

"Then let's hurry up and seize the night while everyone is busy looking for us, uh? I came in my car so..." 

"We just had a dating scandal and you wanna celebrate it fucking?" Mocks Ten, not less shocked despite the fun. "I had you for someone strong but damn, let me say I expected some more discontent out of online backlash and non-consented outing"

"I had enough of it. We are already doomed and I spent the last couple of hours crying" reveals Taeyong, eliciting the loss of the smile from Ten, whose eyes soften a  _ lot _ . Yet, the older man keeps speaking to explain his point. "So I can have myself a bit of relief by being fucked into next week. In all, if they are going to tell on us we might give them some legit reasons"

"You were damn serious about not being put off by the burden I can give you, uh?" 

"Yeah, and the museum is about to close, we need somewhere else to go" answers Taeyong airly, bringing back Ten's high pitched laughter. “Want to take me home, pretty boy? Now that you can do it”

It feels like a blow of fresh air to hear him laugh after the initial stress and the fear of everything collapsing. 

"Okay, being caught doesn’t change anything anymore, so time to get going" he claims, getting up and pulling Taeyong up by his hand with him. "There's no better place to be than home when you get dragged across the dirt" he croons as they undo the path Taeyong had been running through before, hand in hand with less worries about being caught than ever. 

The good thing about something going wrong is that you don’t have to worry about avoiding that possibility anymore. After all, if you fall on your face, the hit is pretty ugly, you may bleed and cry because you didn’t want to have a cut on your forehead, but you can only go up from there. 

The patient lady at the museum's counter -who stare at them with a bit of comprehension and a good scoop of curiosity, caused by secret motives that Taeyong doesn’t want to think about- finally waves goodbye at them and tells them to come again soon as they both leave to the car, not without checking the safety of the outside plane. 

There is no one around, so they finally get to Taeyong's car and part towards Ten’s house. 

"You promise me that you are okay with all of this?" Asks Ten once more as the older drives through the city at night. 

The streetlights are on and they reflect on the pavement with a silent resemblance of a coming of age movie scene. 

It feels so calm out of the blue. 

While the streets are so empty and they move fast through Seoul, it feels like they own the moment and the world for a minute, both wishing every instant keeps feeling like this when they are together. 

Because that's how love is supposed to feel.

Their hearts worn out but full to the brim, the emotions high on their skin and their cheeks pink with glossy trails of dried tears of laughter after a low. 

"Maybe the past me who had barely met you would be surprised, but I promise you now that I'm fine. That I had never felt like this, and I wouldn't change a thing"

"If you say so, I believe you" Ten nods, patting his thigh gently to not disturb his driving. 

Finally he accepts this is how it really is and that Taeyong, with all the information, has chosen him willingly. 

"Hearing you say that makes it better"

"I'm slow paced"

"You are… but I don't mind"

Ten chuckles, his thumb drawing circles on the bare skin of Taeyong’s knee. He has an almost faded out bruise that makes Ten smile faintly. 

"By the way" he begins, a lovely glint illuminating his eyes. "I made a mental note of that thing about being fucked into next week you said" 

"Finally a good comment I like about our relationship!" Jokes Taeyong, the funny point not being too far from reality. 

"Like and Retweet to it. Share with Babyboy Taeyong"

“That’s how you saved my contact in your phone?”

“No. It's Babyboy. Heart emoji”

“Heart emoji? Really?”

“Oh? Don’t like that?” teases Ten, with a big grin. “I can delete it”

“Don’t even think about it”

“That’s what I thought. And either way, I don’t want to” 

*******

"So?" Purs Taeyong with his pretty voice, the one that he uses when he is being cheeky and enjoying the kink of being a little bitch as Ten leans over him on the bed, sitting astray on Taeyong's hips and with both arms towering by each side of his head. "Did they pick one where I look pretty or is it a truly embarrassing cover picture?" 

The corners of Ten's lips curl up impishly as they attach at Taeyong’s shoulder, regardless of the usage of that dark humour the older is using to lift up his own mood when it comes to being the target of a defamation case. That fact fills Taeyong with an indescribable pride and playfulness, since he knows Ten's focus is on him and his smirk is due to the view he is giving to the model right now. 

Once they arrived home they had had a deserved dinner they picked up on their way there. 

It was pretty late for grocery stores to be open, and looking twice at his phone Taeyong noticed that the lady at the museum should have just closed late in hours because she had an idea of what they were doing there. 

Maybe she was one of the comments that stood for their freedom to date whoever they wanted or she was just having some popcorn watching their live drama through the security screens, but he was grateful that she did them the favour.

The phone also disclosed a text from his very worried mother.

[21:34] Mom: Take care out there and let your mother know if you are fine when you can

He sighed, leaning over the car's wheel again as he waited for Ten to pay the items he had mannaged to fetch for dinner and leave the store.

He couldn't tell him that. Not now. He didn't want to give Ten one more worry during the night, and he himself didn't want to think about the awkward argument he was meant to have with his mother because oh, mom, you are not having a daughter-in-law because Mister Lee gives me what I want. And one more thing, we are all over the press because I'm so talented with my tongue. 

He sighed and typed something vague that the future Taeyong should be in charge of solving. 

[23:01] Taeyongie: I’m sorry for all of this, mom, I should have told you earlier. I'm fine now and I'll get back home tomorrow and tell mother about everything. 

His heart was hurt by his own move, but on a brighter side, there was also Mark's words to read. 

[22:40] Mark Lee: thank you for finding him, hyung

[22:40] Mark Lee: as much as Ten can behave a fool sometimes, he knows how to pick companies

[22:41] Mark Lee: i probably should let you alone for a bit now, you'd have things to talk about, most likely 

They had. 

Things to talk about and to do together. 

Well, summarizing the late night trip back home, Ten and him only managed to grab a few rolls of kimbap with different flavours, instant spicy rice cakes with cheese and a box of butter cookies. 

Ever since college, probably, Ten hadn't had such dumb menu to make it pass for a meal, but when he saw the display of dishes on the table and the outfits on both of them, he found it so amusing he had started laughing out of a sudden, as he ate the rolls. 

They had been sitting around the coffee table while Taeyong's playlist sounded through Ten’s livingroom's speakers, sharing their not so nutritionally valuable food and holding the cats back to not steal something they shouldn't eat when Ten smiled at Taeyong and then laughed. 

"Gosh, this feels like a students' dorm" he had said. Then his eyes softened with a little bit of a downcast, fingers lacing with Taeyong’s over the latter's knee. "I wish it was like that, just as stupid instead of a big deal. I'm sorry for that, and I'm sorry you had to come and pick me up" 

Taeyong had chuckled. 

For him, the funniest part is that, in the dim lights of Ten's apartment, sitting just in front of him while the two of them were alone, nothing mattered. It took him a while to accept it, maybe even realise it, but he thinks that Ten is really worth the effort. 

Maybe tomorrow he will go out, breath a wisp of fresh air by himself and find the weight of things falling over him, but at that moment, all that mattered was him and Ten. 

"It’s silly in a different kind of way" nodded the older, tapping the back of Ten's hand. "Maybe not like in college, but I already went through that phase, it is not like I need it again. This is You and I type of silly, you can say" 

"You really like it like this?"

"I like it with you"

The smile in Ten's face was and understandment. 

"Hearing that does feel better than college times, that's a fact"

Taeyong didn't know how his moment of impulse to have sex in a car with a boy that gave him the hots just turned into this. Into something so comfortable, where he is sitting on his rug wearing his hideous stay at home shorts and feeling like it’s the best date of his entire life. 

Was that what people call… love?

It should be, Taeyong feels like it. 

After they finished dinner, they didn't have dishes to wash, finding the good side of packed food when they dumped the plastics in the trash and called it a day.

Taeyong took care of refilling the jar of water and put it back in the fridge while Ten collected the glasses they used to put them in the dishwasher, so when he was done, he came back to the livingroom. 

The air had changed abruptly. The dim lights seemed darker now, and the silence was comfortable and strangely warm. 

The goosebumps covered his arms, but they spreaded across his whole body once he saw Ten casually leaning on the frame of his bedroom's door. 

He moved his fingers with a come-closer gesture and Taeyong was moved through the room in rhe blink of an eye, leaving Ten with the liberty of pushing him slowly to his dormitory. 

Compared with the other time he had been around, this felt so silent and calm that his heart pounded with even more anticipation, and the surprise of Taeyong discovering the commodity of being with someone you trust was pleasant. 

Ten took care of the cats staying outside the sliding door and then closed it, moving in to hold Taeyong’s strong jaw on his hands to kiss him deep and slow, his sweetnes melting down on Taeyong’s mouth like a summer evening. 

He really took the tailor's words at the car seriously, and Taeyong was far from complaining because somewhere in between, his jacket and shirt had gone to the floor and his shorts soon accompanied them as he laid on the big, soft bed that he remembered so well and dearly. 

Coming back to the present, he blushes -a little shy, but not embarrassed- as Ten stares at him from above and drinks on the view. 

He wasn't planning to see him today so, unlike other times where he had been all dolled up for him, now Taeyong is barefaced and wearing some light blue boxers from the average pile of underwear. There are no necklace or earrings to garnish his appearance, it's only him and his most raw form. 

"Of course you look good on those, you are never caught slacking, baby. But you are prettier right now" indulges Ten with his sultry voice, velvet undertone noticeable for him after all this time and clear attempt to use Taeyong's likings to lead him on. "My secret rose" 

The caress of his voice accompanies the sluggish drag of Ten's thumb over Taeyong’s chest, playing with an exposed nipple that he knows the older really likes to get touched at, already leaving out an almost inaudible gasp and tensing a little. 

"Well… if you get sad over our problem you can remember that the journalists don't know you get the fanciest exclusives" he breathes out content, playing with his long, silver hair around his finger. "As much as they talk, they'll never be able to know what goes on between us"

Ten sure can tell he is getting needier by the second, and if he doesn’t, the smirk of his face at least acts as it's the case. 

He is soft and gentle, so much that Taeyong knows it's a trap, giving him only teasing touches as his dark eyes cry desire that pools on the older. 

"That lifts my mood more than you think" 

His finger touches across the bud, around it and then down, drawing random patterns just so Taeyong can’t guess what's the next move and the surprise factor hits him harder, going down to caress his belly just for a moment. 

His gasp is sharp when Ten’s hand floats to the other nipple to taunt it with a harsh tweak. 

" _ Nghh… _ " 

His breath hitches, Ten pressing a bit harder, tugging before he lets go of the perked up nipple. Then he brushes it just as softly as he was doing at first, making the sparks curl under Taeyong’s skin with the enhanced sensitivity of his chest.

He reaches his hand up, grasping a handful of Ten’s hair to pull him down, his own hips rising from the mattress and rolling like a wave to rub his crotch with Ten and his tongue darting out to mess with his.

Nonetheless Ten just lingers over him and doesn’t allow the kiss, moving lower to latch his warm cave on the nipple that is being a big target of attention. 

Taeyong knows the model likes to hear him get unleashed and flushed with heat, so that's why he takes the attention to his chest again, teasing the sensitive flesh with his teeth and making Taeyong arch his back and whimper. 

He had forgotten what Ten going slow feels like, and now, he doesn't feel as bothered as he used to be, but rather loved to an exquisite extent. 

If he goes slow, he gets to be thorough. 

Taking the time, stretching their moment out and living in that bubble where everyone else is quiet is the most pleasurable thing.

His dick throbs, and he is unable to stay still while Ten looks up at him like that, through the thick of his lashes. His stomach holds butterflies as the thai man keeps moving down with his lips, sucking the smooth skin of his abdomen.

"Ten" he calls, softly, the yearning sipping into his tone in a way that makes the younger bob his head up with a smirk in response. "Undress, please" 

The model giggles, but he sits up again and starts fumbling with his sweatshirt. 

"If you ask so nicely" he croons, lifting up his top and tossing it aside. 

For the surprise of no one, he is not wearing anything else underneath except from the velvety tan skin. It's summer, after all. 

"This too" commands Taeyong with an amused smile, tugging from the waist of Ten's jeans, all cold and crude against his naked body. 

"Magic word?"

"Please, daddy" 

"That's both of your magic words" he says, now with a darker tone, letting Taeyong undo his fly whilst the older one holds his tongue between his teeth in a playfully grimace. "Smart move" 

He slips his jeans off his legs and tosses them away. 

Losing no time, the older wraps his arms around Ten’s neck, pushing him down once more to join their lips, impatient and happy. Happy that he can finally do this knowing there's something to expect from a future with him. 

Ten immediately responds to the kiss, his hands on Taeyong's hips and his tenderness melting and mixing with the edge of need that makes him kiss back harder. 

Taeyong hums under Ten's unyielding mouth, body heating up with the contact of their bare skin flushed together, sensitive and growing tinglier with every ministration. 

"I missed you touching me" mewls Taeyong, rolling his hips against Ten and runbing his cock against his through their underwear. It makes Ten have to bite a moan down too, but it all drowns under their lips gliding against each other's and their tongues dancing. 

"Mee too" he breaths out in between wet smacks that are hardly kisses at this rate. They are merely exchanges of tangled up feelings, bodies pushed together and hips buckling up to pleasure each other with the drag. 

Taeyong whispers his words onto Ten’s cheek. "I missed you inside of me"

"Shit, Kitten" chuckles Ten devilish. "Do you want me to go undone on my pants?" 

"Is it really that vile if I say yes?" 

"So fiery" he cooes, bitting on Taeyong’s earlobe while his hand drops to palm him. His entire body fills up with heat, and his air goes out loudly than he expected. "But you know what, Taeyong?" Kept the model whispersing, darkly, blowing the words over his ears as he sits up once more. 

The move ground Taeyong’s hips down on the mattress and cause a tiny whine to escape from the older, his hardness grinding against Ten's soft butt. His smile covers his lips, raising himself a bit and flopping down on Taeyong again to hear another one of those and watch his face melt. 

The designer is way too cute laid on his bed with those gooey eyes of longing and his hands at both sides of his head, staying still like a good and yet spoiled brat. 

He knows what he is about to say just because of how much intent and affection beats with his heart when he looks at him. 

"What?"

"Looking at you like this reminds me that I like to play with my toys too, and I haven't shown you those. I have something I wanted to share with you, but since we avoided coming here for a while, I forgot to show you the things I own" 

Taeyong stares at him quietly, wondering if the model can see the way he gulps and feels the rush just by the mention of adding something more to their already perfect encounter. 

His mind flies, crossing different fantasies in a second, and that’s no good for someone that has never had problems being turned up by him even before physically meeting. 

He is so doomed, but in the best way possible.

"What… what do you own?"

"If you want me to show you, I will" trails off the model, smirking subtly. But under all his dare, there's still the soft cushion of a trustworthy man asking Taeyong what  _ he _ wants. "Maybe it can help us to get you… how was it? Fucked into next week" 

"Bring it out" 

"I'll take that as a yes" jokes Ten, giving a peck on Taeyong’s lips and rolling off him to go to his night table and open the last of the drawers. 

Taeyong’s stomach stirs, excited and curious to the point that he doesn’t even sit up on the bed, not daring or even wanting to break the fantasy of being completely pampered by Ten. 

He can tell Ten likes this scene too, he can discern the shimmer in his eyes when he observes Taeyong waiting for him, and no longer gets his pride snatched off his hands by his impostor syndrome because they are coming this far together already. 

He likes the slow pace now. Taeyong likes the intimacy that is growing more and more between the two of them and the seconds of dragged anticipation when he doesn’t know what to expect from Ten. 

For real, boys did never last so long by his side to show Taeyong this type of feeling, nor they have an intention. Ten really is his best bet ever, maybe the perfect type that actually exists. 

The model, then, turns to him with a black ribbon in his hand, flowy and soft looking just like the ones Taeyong uses to tie dresses or decorate hemlines at the store. 

He knows that the ribbon wouldn't be making a dress pretty in this context, not with the aspect it has when he takes a closer look and notices it's a leathery band with trimmed lace. 

His belly churns with excitement as Ten tilts his head to the side and observes Taeyong deeply to find a clue of his feelings about his proposition. 

"Blindfold?" mumbles Taeyong, not really finding any other words at the moment. Something about his senses being played with makes him shiver. In a good way. 

"Sounds good?"

"Sounds great" breathes out the blonde, not even having to fake the airy sound of his words. 

This time, he sits up and angles his body to get closer to Ten, his palms pushing at the mattress and his eyes closing softly with nothing else to say. 

"Fuck, Taeyong" he hears him say while he holds his chin with his fingers and caresses his cheek and his lips under his fingers with an arousing leisure. "You'll never stop being the death of me, right?"

"Not if I have the chance" 

The soft piece of buttery leather covers his eyes, blocking out almost all of the light that surrounded him before, ending with his entire vision once Ten is done tying the chiffon ends and he opens his eyes under the fabric. 

Taeyong hands clutch on the sheets under him, already losing the trace of his placement and hearing only Ten’s words. 

"Uncomfortable?" 

Taeyong shakes his head slowly. 

It's funny how he is losing his capacity to speak when he is theoretically only blinded. 

"Where… do you want me?" 

Ten's tremulous chuckle makes his skin shudder in the unnaturally empty darkness, and the hand that lays flat on his chest gets him a sizzling feeling. 

"Let’s start by laying you down" His velvety voice heard like this makes Taeyong want to gasp for air, and he is glad that Ten pushes him onto his back with his head on the pillow. The model should know that right now, his legs would wobble if he tried to make him stand any other pose. "You look so gorgeous I hope you could see yourself, but oh well"

Taeyong reads the smirk in his voice. 

"Take a picture then" 

"Too soon to get another possibly troublesome image, no, Taeyongie?" 

His laugh soon becomes a hiss, that melts on his tongue, for Ten trails his hand down his body, across each hardened peak of his chest, then over his navel, and finally to his thigh, laying there as a support point before completely leaving his body.

"Ten, I-" he whimpers.

The loud smack of his open hand across his thigh cuts him out, greeting him with the slight stinging just before the younger's pats the zone gently to sooth the -most likely- reddened skin, softly tracing circles over it. 

Taeyong purses his lips and decides to stay quiet for a little while because he is not going to come up with something coherent anyways. 

As the mattress sinks, he can picture how Ten crawls over him, his member twitching in anticipation knowing that he is getting closer and closer, feeling his breath collide with his skin and finally leaning down to press a desperately gentle kiss on his throat, followed by another one, and then more of them, growing hotter and rolling down his body, making Taeyong want to squirm away of the stimulation that coils between his legs. 

He lifts up his butt as soon as Ten's lips are over his hip and his hands are grabbing his underwear, letting the model slide the boxers down and off his feet to expose him completely. 

The faint air of the room kisses all of Taeyong’s heated up body, joining to an even more intrincated mix of sensations.

He chews his bottom lip, trying to guess what's going to be Ten’s next movement and how he is going to use him for his own amusement. 

"Don't move" he sings, roaming around and probably watching the older trying to make sense of the sounds he hears as he gets rid of his pants himself. 

"I'm not moving" 

"I know, it was advice" 

This time, his voice is very close, and his fingers lace with Taeyong’s own over the pillow just as their lips crush eagerly searching for the passion to explode. His body moves against Taeyong’s, eliciting sparkles that travel across his body and want to make his toes curl. His hips roll over his, and their bare middles touch with a little gliding provided by the natural drip of emotion. 

Just like he needs, Taeyong thrust his hips up to match the movements of the model, moaning when their most sensitive parts meet. That throws away the previous demand of staying still, but he doesn't mind, and it doesn't seem to be Ten’s case either when he pushes his body lower and harder, a faint moan from his lips setting Taeyong on a high place. 

"Don't dare make me cum like this" mewls Taeyong, far from sounding intimidating or even opposing the current flow of the encounter with his arms wrapping around Ten’s waist and his back arching to find himself more of what he's being given. "Please"

"As you wish" croons Ten, moving away from him. "Wait"

Maybe Taeyong has a big, fat mouth. 

"I didn’t mean-" 

The wooden floor under the carpet hums somewhere in the room, and suddenly Taeyong thinks about being left alone in the bed without even knowing what to do. His heart hammers in his chest as he tries guessing Ten’s location or what he's planning. 

Frankly, it could be whatever and none of the possibilities sound boring. 

He thinks about the thai going over him with his dark hungry eyes, watching him lay there for him and becoming a mess just due to the wait. 

Ten's hand, suddenly, slides down and grasps his hip, just above the curve of his ass, almost startling the older. 

"Ten" he practically begs, feeling something approach and breaking into a sonorous gasp when the latter wedges his tongue against the base of his dick and rolls it up to the tip to then sink down and take it on his torrid mouth. "Holy fucking-" 

The designer is too sensitive to hold himself back, bucking his hips up to push himself further past Ten’s lips, eliciting a way to pleased humm from the younger one that sends vibrations right through Taeyong’s nerves. 

His tongue works smoothly on his dick, swirling and putting an intoxicating pressure on the underside. 

Taeyong gasps, almost choking on the surprise, as Ten grabs his leg and drags him on the bed, placing closer to him. Immediately, Taeyong bends his legs and spreads them wider to allow the entrance. 

The liquid sound that comes from Ten’s lips, licking up and down and trickling spit to make the glide faster and smoother is completely freaky, but Taeyong can’t concentrate on that, only in the sensation that burns his blood. 

Ten has begun sliding his filthy mouth back and forth, and his hand wraps around Taeyong’s base and slides up and down too, completing the act.

He wonders if now that he can only see darkness, Ten has worked his other hand down to make himself satisfied too, because he can hear his little whines and the laboured breathing that does not cease, nor helps the breathtaking feeling of vibration around his hard shaft.

"Mmmh, what the fuck, Ten" he chokes, in awe and blissing out."You do this too well, where did you learn that?" 

Taeyong is not even lying, Ten is good at it. He takes his time, rolls his tongue smoothly and stroking all the right place, all while his hand grips tightly around Taeyong’s base to hold him at the edge. 

He is dripping precum and still, Ten is savoring it for his dear life. The wet clicks of his tongue make Taeyong pulse inside his hot mouth.

"Ten, you are going to make me…"

He knows the coherence is leaving him to go to a better place, but he feels the need to let him know he is about to bliss out of this plane of existence.

Ten’s chuckle around him makes him throb harder and toe the edge with his senses at the top. He sucks  _ hard _ , and the designer’s moans begging come out clipped. 

The intensity is building up all over him, and Taeyong’s hands feel for the younger's head in between his thighs, grasping a handful of his hair and thrusting into his mouth with a sharp groan. 

It doesn’t seem to be a movement under Ten’s permission, since the younger pulls back and lets the throbbing hardness pop out of his mouth and slap against Taeyong’s taut torso, slick with a mix of spit and his own moisture, pulsing with the already too close high. 

His chest feels tight, mind stopped from functioning for his body is processing the burn, but around his wrist, Taeyong feels the grip of the model, carefully pushing his hand away from his black and now probably messy hair. 

"Nuh-uh, baby" sings his voice, already lapping on the smug tone. "We are not doing that"

The slight creaking of springs under Taeyong makes him know Ten is moving up to him and, anticipating the next stage for once, he parts his lips, letting the model kiss him deeply, tongue slipping between his soft cushions with a distant taste of himself. His lips feel so wet over Taeyong’s own that the older can imagine the disheveled state of his lusty face right now. 

"Daddy doesn't like that?" Counterattacks Taeyong with a smile when they part. Every inch of a touch, the taste of his tongue and the smell of Ten's perfume mixing up with sweat; makes his libido rush and push him to this. "Daddy has to be winning in everything or he is pissed?" 

"Are you getting bratty?" Asks Ten, sounding amused if not less ready to jump onto Taeyong and break the bed. Taeyong’s smile grows wider even without seeing his bothered, horny expression. "You can't tell me that you turned a dating scandal into sassy sex fuel, Lee Taeyong" 

"It's been always in my blood, so what if I did? It gives me the sick kick... We can talk seriously tomorrow, but right now I just like trouble"

"Well, that ain't a lie" Taeyong can sense the manner in which Ten sits on his legs, blocking them just as much as the hand Ten had gripped and is now pushing against the pillow. "We should do something with that, tho"

"I've been… bad?" 

"I know you want to hear a yes… that’s telling enough"

"And what are you gonna do?"

"Let's tie your hands this time, since you cannot behave properly" 

His dick jumps between his legs again by the only mention of it, still feeling sensitive and raw after the previous activity. 

"Yes, please" 

"I thought so"

It's barely a couple of seconds from the moment Taeyong nodded and the feel of chiffon around his wrist, the velocity betraying Ten's impatience to keep everything going. 

A part of Taeyong wants to get rid of the blindfold and see him sweat and squirm in desperation, but they still have time and he is not going to ruin this, not when the tightness around his wrists increases and Ten lets them fall on the bed, tied together above Taeyong’s head. 

The soft pads of Ten's fingers brush against Taeyong’s bottom lip. 

"Open" commands Ten. 

Taeyong has no time to spare, as his chest rumbles with need and the pulse of the orgasm is still there trying to get him done, so the digits slip past his parted lips and his tongue snakes out to coat them with his saliva. In they go, Taeyong tilting his head up towards the model, whose digits press further back until the older is satisfied with how full he feels, humming around them. 

He presses his lips around them, as if he had to put the same effort as in a blowjob and enjoying it quite as much. Ten is bigger than two fingers, obviously, but with his eyes shut, it's easy to imagine that he is sucking his dick instead. 

The pleased mewls provoke Ten to take it to the next level for the blonde, so he pushes down harder on his tongue. 

"Liking it, uh?" The thai teases, retracting them halfway and pushing back in. "Someone really likes to have his mouth full" 

Taeyong hmms in response, his spit making his lips glossy and slippery while Ten takes the time to let him rejoice on what he is doing, since he is way too thrilled about it and his erection leaks heavily on his navel.

When Ten finally takes them away Taeyong whines, missing the weight on his tongue, but quite liking where they go next better, falling between his thighs and brushing his puckering entrance. 

He purrs, already loving the attention on that area after a while that has been too long for his liking. At first, Ten’s fingers draw faint circles around it, encouraging his muscles to relax, but soon, Taeyong’s body jolts when the pressure becomes sharper. He slides his finger along his entrance, bending his fingertips to stick them in. 

It's just the tips pushing his walls down, but Taeyong’s stomach tightens. He tries to steady his breath, fighting the anticipation but Ten keeps on stroking his fingers up and down, just grazing the pink hole each time, and that makes Taeyong impatient, as always. He suspects it might be on purpose… in fact, he is almost one hundred percent positive about a current smirk on Ten’s lips. 

He doesn’t mind that he is giving the model all the reasons he needs to boost his ego, both of them need to let go of worries right now.

He arches his hips up, gesturing the representation of his pleading. 

" _ Mm...hm _ , Ten…"

"Yes?"

Taeyong tilts his hips up higher in response, inviting a deeper touch. 

"In" he breathes out "Please" 

"You sure?"

His hands curl into fist above his head, swallowing the overflowing emotions and nodding. 

Both the fingers that are wet slips in until the first knuckle, then slowly pulling back and sliding deep with the barely there moisture of his spit. He plunges deeper, pulling Taeyong open and curling his fingers to heart the airy moans of delight that escape him. 

Taeyong feels so good, intoxicated with the slow, crude glide that makes his mouth go slack. He is tight and his body reacts instinctively, closing around the digits and almost rejecting the intrusion; so Ten stops and waits for him to catch up. The older can hear the chuckle Ten leaves when he whimpers out a quiet complain. 

"Hey… you seriously can't wait even a second for your ass to get used to it?" 

"What if I say n-  _ aaah _ " 

The model moves his fingers inside him again, pumping in and out with slow motions. He goes again and again, his fingers pressing the spots around to provide a mind-numbing sensation for Taeyong, one that melts the last bit of his walls resistance, blooming like a flower for the younger. 

"Feels good, right?" Sings Ten, punctuating his sentence with the thrust of his fingers in going in deeper and nearly hitting the spot that makes Taeyong’s breath hitch just with the approach. "I bet you want to touch yourself so bad right now, your dick is hard as hell. Go ahead. Ah, wait..." he says, playing his little act all by himself without stopping what he's doing, Taeyong’s head heavy and reeling with the building pleasure. "...you can't do that"

"You're the worst"

"Yeah?"

His fingers curl inside him, and the stretch makes the blonde feel an exquisite burn, eliciting a wince as he clenches around him, trying to keep Ten with him. 

He forgets to answer, thinking only about the model pulling him apart with his dick next and feeling the drip from his sensitive erection, throbbing and jumping with a pleasure so sharp that’s almost painful, indeed dying to touch himself like Ten has said, because he is stiff as a board. 

His ass starts to pulse, warning him of the closeness of his high, moaning out loud in pleasure and pushing himself lower against the fingers that stroke him, hoping for them to hit his sweet spot. Of course, Ten wouldn't allow that, because if he wanted, he would be making Taeyong flow like a fountain already. 

It's overwhelming how much Ten has grown to understand Taeyong’s likings, needs and little gestures; how well he reads him now, knowing he is at his limit when Taeyong’s back arches and his lips part with a soundless whimper, so he stops and retreats his fingers slowly to then hold his trembling legs.

Taeyong feels like either he can't breath or he is breathing too much, fast and heavy as the model soothes him and pats his leg slowly, letting him come down a little bit.

The calm, of course, doesn't last too long because, as Taeyong had guessed before, Ten has been struggling with his own problem for a while now and it doesn't take long until Taeyong hears the click of a bottle cap being opened. 

There's an erotic sound that comes to his ears, directly from Ten as he gets himself lubed up. And then another one that has Taeyong wriggling with hastiness.

"Oh  _ shit _ "

"Ten" he whines, knowing well what he is doing while the older can't see. 

He wants to press his knees together and squirm, but Ten grabs his thighs first and makes him do just the opposite, spreading him and exposing his gaping hole for the thai. 

He shudders, feeling how Ten lines with his pleading entrance, the tip already pushing against him and putting that dull pressure that takes some seconds to give in. 

And then, Taeyong accidentally slips away from coherence when Ten slams inside with full force, knowing that he is ready to receive him after all the extra work of prepping him. 

The groan resounds on the walls of the room as the girth pushes his walls appart and opens him up, filling him with the lustful, pleasuring weight of the model's cock. 

The pace never even starts with moderation, going straight to the sweet, unyielding thrust against his prostate. He already knows his body well, he knows where to push and how hard, he knows how to gyrate his hops to make Taeyong moan the prettiest. 

The drag in and out is insane after a while with no one making the way inside, and they both moan in unison, enjoying the heat of Taeyong’s cave welcoming it's natural filling.

"Oh, Ten, fuck!" He yells, snaking his legs around his hips to push him impossibly deeper and fighting with the ties of his wrist that only get him more aroused. And if that's not enough, Ten’s hot exhales fan on his neck and gets lost in his damp hair, disheveled and tangled over the pillows. "If you go a little bit d-  _ aah _ ...oh my god! Just right there!" 

"Here?" The younger moans, circling his hips sharply to touch that spot that makes Taeyong answer only with a spasm of his body and more profanities again. "There, baby?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, Ten!"

"How does that feel?"

"Amazing! Fuck, I love your d- _ aah _ , your dick. Please, faster, please"

By the way Taeyong’s walls contract around him and pulse with a dragging desperation, Ten knows he can't hold it together any longer, so his hand wraps around his dick again and starts moving to the same pace. 

The thrusts of his length inside him are fast, and his hand moves in long strokes to make the counterpoint mind blowing, only causing Taeyong to stop breathing for two seconds and then burst his sheed between their bodies, hands trying to get something to hold on to release the crushing bliss, but only getting to become fists as his body arches and his exhale breaks him down.

"Ten!"

"Wait, Taeyong, wait" cries Ten out, holding his hips down to the bed without stopping what he is doing. The designer’s mind is dull, and the orgasm being ridden and dragged is glazing his understanding even more, but not enough to not know that he would love to see Ten’s face now if he sounds as desperate as him or even more. "Let me- let me just-"

His laugh is so shaky it could have concerned anyone that wasn’t themselves to know the context.

"Come on, baby, it's s-so easy… you j-just have to... to...c-cum in me"

" _ Fuck! _ "

"I k-know right?" Chokes Taeyong, whose eyes tear up under the blindfold. The overstimulation is going past the stingy state to become plain asphyxiating pleasure. "Aah… hhmm...hhmm… fuck Ten, come on…. hhmm, I'm going to die..." 

With the last efforts of his energy, Taeyong wraps up his phrase bucking his hips up and clamping down around him, ripping a pitiful sound out of Ten who, immediately after, paints his walls white. He moves, all sloppy and in repeat as if he doesn’t know how to stop anymore, the sound of slapping skin filling up the room together with the high moans as they ride both their orgasm until he is done with himself and his entire body switches off, dropping on Taeyong’s chest and panting on his neck. 

As they hug -well, Ten hugs him and Taeyong keeps being tied underneath his boiling hot body- and wait for the pleasure to wash out a little, their respiration together sounds like they would make the Earth's oxygen run out

It all provokes a laugh from the older.

"What's so funny?" Jokes Ten, still out of breath.

"Nothing, I'm just…" he sighs. "Happy" 

He feels the rapid bob of Ten’s head up, followed by a more slow and cautious move that guides his hand behind Taeyong's blonde head, pulling the lace of the blindfold to uncover Taeyong’s eyes.

The light in the room is still dim, but he squints his eyes for a moment to avoid blinding himself, tearing up a bit. 

"You are?" Asks Ten, sounding genuinely interested in whatever the answer is going to be. 

The older one knows where the doubt comes from. 

Probably Ten had been all day waiting for a text from Taeyong telling him this was over and now his world is being turned around by the tailor singlehandedly. 

"Of course I am, look at us" he says, pointing at Ten with a faint gesture of his chin. "I was scared, Ten, I'm not going to lie. As much as you thought it could be me who decided to drop all of this because of the backlash, I also thought… What if Ten is bored of me? What if he doesn’t like me enough to eat this scandal up? What if this happening right now fucks up all the progress we made?"

"That's not… that's not going to happen" 

"Yeah, I know. I know it  _ now _ " sighs Taeyong with a smile. "That's why I'm saying this. You and me like this… makes me happy. Maybe it's a bit silly of me and I still can't understand the magnitude of what's going on, but my heart says this is a good place to be" 

"I'm falling for you" blurts out Ten, staring at Taeyong dead in the eyes. 

He just says it like that, taking it out of his chest and giving it to Taeyong that, for a good handful of seconds, is only able to stare back as his lips part with the surprise. 

He thought that hearing something like that from Ten of all people would take them a longer time, even that he would be the first one to say it, but it’s here now and he doesn’t have an answer ready. 

"What?"

"Yeah. You asked me once if I ever fell in love. I said no, and it was true, but... Sorry that I made you go 'round and 'round for me to get my shit together, but I didn't want to make your life difficult with all of this. I wish I could spare you the flashes and comments… because I'm really falling for you" 

"I'm…  _ wow _ . I'm breathless right now" 

"You're so lovely" 

"You are seriously saying all these things while I'm tied up on your bed?" Jokes Taeyong, but his voice, his eyes and his smile are so soft, that Ten knows he can relax and let his heart melt with his tenderness. "Only you could confess and sound that sweet after something so spicy and while I'm still like this. What can I say?" 

"Say 'me too'"

"Me too, Ten" he whispers. "But for real, not just because you asked me" 

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm here after all and… I'll be here more if you want me to"

"Sure thing" Ten giggles and unties the ribbon around Taeyong’s wrist as well, letting the older stretch his hands and rubbing soothing circles on the reddened skin. "So? How was that?"

"The sex or the confession?"

"Both"

"Awesome in both cases" yawns Taeyong, stretching his body and finally wrapping his arms around Ten's shoulder to pull him into a chaste kiss. "But if you keep overstimulating me like that, one day I'll pass out in your bed" 

"Can people pass out for orgasming too hard?" Asks Ten, leaning on his shoulder again and closing his eyes. 

Taeyong finds cute all of those moments where the curiosity peaks from Ten’s insides and he makes random questions out of the blunt, like thinking out loud and no matter how apparently stupid they are. 

He may love this stupid dumbass a lot more than he planned, but that's okay.

He tightens his hug and kisses his forehead too, drinking from the liberty he finally has acquired over the model. The model that once was only that and now is falling asleep on his chest. 

"Ain't this one of the times you say you can have fun finding out?"

"We can have fun finding out together" 

He can't explain, nor rationalise, why his heart swells with the slight rephrase of his own sentence, but it does. 

Ten chuckles under his breath, his smile pressing against the lukewarm skin of the designer cooling down on top of the duvet. 

"Your heart is racing" 

"I can point to the offender"

He raises his hand lazily. "Guilty"

"Yes, you are" he mutters for them both to laugh more carelessly. They deserve their moment of happiness in the middle of this mess. 

Ten humms content, kissing Taeyong sternum and trailing a line of pecks that go down to the ending of his ribcage. Then he goes up again -so close to Taeyong that his wet lips glide across his skin- and plants and open-mouthed kiss on his throat, making Taeyong make a blissful sound. 

"This might be a dumb question from me" purss Ten as a pause in his activity. "But are you staying tonight?" 

"Of course I'm staying. And besides, do you think I'm done?" 

He feels the smirk of the thai on his neck as his hot breath burns down the time he needs to wait to fill up again. 

"You wanna go again?" 

"You don’t?"

"Yes, but just a moment ago you were saying, and I quote, that you were about to die" 

"I'll risk it" giggles Taeyong, pushing Ten to roll to the side so he can throw his leg over his body and sit himself on his lap. His hands lay flat on Ten’s shoulders as he starts a slow swing of his hips back and forth. "But I still want to know… where did you learn to suck dick like that?" 

Ten humms, pretending he is trying to recall something as his hands rest on Taeyong's thin hips. He has always liked the delicacy of Taeyong's physique and how it doesn't make him less energetic, bold or fueled with determination to ruin his heart. 

The older still swings his hips, a smirk curling up the corner of his lips as he feels Ten getting hard as he has intended it. 

"I have a degree and I'm a model" he jokes, winking amused. "I worked so ha- _ aah _ -rd" 

Taeyong has found the bottle of lube half open across the bed and poured the cold liquid directly onto Ten’s dick, causing him to hiss. 

"Come on… that's a little lie, uh?"

"Oh, fuck… yes, it is" he says, lifting his hips from the bed a little as Taeyong reaches a hand behind his back to stroke Ten, spreading the lube and rubbing him to the full stand. Ten mewls and gasps at the feeling, and Taeyong’s thumb presses harder at the tip, sensitive after the first wave of orgasm to make him arch his back in bliss. "I don't know” he says when he has enough air back in his lungs. “I guess that it's a talent… natural-born" 

Taeyong inhales sharply, holding Ten’s length and lining it up with his loose whole to start sitting himself on the length, slowly sinking. His mouth parts in a silent moan as the flesh pushed inside his walls, oversensitive and with his nerves endings at edge. Maybe he overestimated his capacity to do this again, but he is not willing to back up, he is needy, in love with the blinding euphoria of orgasming with Ten and feeling his dick pulsing, so he goes all the way down on it. 

Ten sits up, the shift and the slow move of his cock inside Taeyong making the older moan already. The new position makes it easier to reach his deepest spots, so he needs to throw his arms eagerly around Ten’s shoulders to hold himself, his face buried on his shoulder. 

"I'm going to write a thank you note to your parents" he grunts onto his black hair.

"Yeah? Then I should give you a good reason… maybe inspiration" mewls Ten, snaking his arms around Taeyong’s and lifting him up to then force him back down.

Taeyong’s eyes shut forcefully, the blast of painful pleasure knocking the air from his lungs. His nails dig on Ten’s back to honour his new kitten nickname that the model gave him. 

"What is it?" Asks Ten, devilish, repeating the move again, and then again as Taeyong writhes on his hold. His cock trembles untouched, leaking precum heavily and he moans with every trust. "You seemed so ready to ride me, do I need to lay you on your back again and do it myself?" 

He is teasing, but his voice is disheveled, his pupils big as the moon and he is panting heavily. 

Everything is quite erratic in both of them, going feral over each other in a moment of intimacy, as it's really meant to be. This is their moment, not anyone else. They can’t see them, they can’t avoid it… it’s like a solar eclipse. 

It feels like a string pulls their hearts to meet in the middle, but they are so close to each other that they still beat in their chests. 

Taeyong shakes his head, forcing himself up with his trembling legs and starting to bounce on Ten’s lap. 

It doesn’t take him longer than a minute to begin feeling unusually strong pangs of pleasure, his body starting to convulse on top of Ten that, for a fact isn't doing much better than him, panting, moaning and choking on air as the bed squeaks under their unmerciful pace. 

Taeyong is moaning a long thread of inconex words since minutes ago, but in between them, there's one that's so clear to Ten. 

" _ Kiss me _ "

Ten indulges them both, crashing his parted lips on Taeyong’s and lapping his tongue on his mouth, becoming only a mess as Taeyong’s jaw falls with the euphoria of the bed-breaking pace and throws his head back.

The second high is unmatched. He can't breath or think, as the waves of sheer delight engulfs him. He goes off loudly, probably confirming the news for Ten’s neighbours as he spills his load on his chest and the model's. 

The latter holds him tightly, his body tensing like a string as he also comes harder than before, the squelching sound when he pulls back so nasty that Taeyong’s mindless self smiles, the hot release mixing with lube dribbling out of him and making him feel absolutely heady and gone. 

With his faltering strength, the younger helps him laying gently on the bed, kissing his cheeks between ragged breaths. 

"Okay, that's enough for today" chuckles Ten, lovingly putting a chaste kiss on his lips. "Before all Seoul finds out that the news are true"

They laugh more, Taeyong pulling Ten to lay with him. They cuddle up, crooked on the mattress with the pillows toppling over and the sheets crumpled and wet at some spots. 

"They already know, I'm just having fun with it" 

"Fair enough" smiles Ten. 

He quickly gots up to go somewhere that Taeyong can’t bother to check now, since he is about to discover if passing out is actually possible. He feels feeble and sleepy, but not in a bad, annoying way. His lips still curl up in a smile when he feels the wet and soft sensation of Ten scrubbing away the result of their encounter with a clean towel. 

He opens his eyes just enough to see through the thick of his lashes and discover the endearment that adorns Ten’s eyes as he looks at him. The smile completely scapes Taeyong’s control when it tugs from his lips but Ten doesn’t say anything about it. There’s no teasing or a joke, just a gentle kiss on Taeyong's forehead. 

"Good night, baby” he whispers, putting the towel away on the table and switching the lights off. He roams a little, but his body soon sinks on the mattress, next to Taeyong as he pulls the blankets on them. Taeyong thinks that’s the last thing he is going to hear Ten say before falling asleep, but yet, the model barely mutters. “I'm so glad that you are here" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kofi is on my twitter bio
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	23. For the ones at the back

"Ten" groans Taeyong, head rising from the pillow as he tries to open his glued eyes in the bright luminity of the morning. They should have drawn the curtains completely before dying on the bed like a mess of limbs. "Ten"

"Hmm…"

The black hair of the model is a fluffy ball thrown facedown on the pillow and closer to being asleep like a trunk than half awake. Taeyong knows he is probably exhausted, because if he himself is all sore and cramped, Ten must be extra tired for being outside like a stray cat for the entire previous day. 

He shakes him by his shoulder as softly as he can without losing all the force he needs to move him. 

"Babe, wake up" 

"Don't call me babe for this, it's cruel, it’s extorsion"

Taeyong smiles without even noticing.

"Come on, Ten, wake up"

"What for?"

"Someone has been ringing the doorbell for two minutes now, and the cats are meowing too" 

"They can fuck themselves real good" 

That answer concerns Taeyong, who has been actually fearing to hear something like that and confirm that the possibilities that torment his mind are plausible. And he knows the model isn't talking about the cats because he would never address his sons like that. 

He purses his lips while Ten can't see him, for his face is still buried on the pillow. The tailor returns slowly to the pillow, snuggling closer to Ten and hooking an arm around the small of his back, still bare under the sheets. 

"You think… that?" Whispers Taeyong. "Them?"

It's curious how, being the least loud of the things Taeyong has said in the last couple of minutes, that question is what actually shakes Ten awake, quickly rolling onto his side and forcing his eyes open to stare at the older. 

He smiles, gentle with his manners, and hugs Taeyong back, pulling him closer to his chest. 

"It’s okay, don't be scared. Try to sleep again"

"I can't" pouts Taeyong as protest, allowing himself to be cradled by Ten, finally feeling like a full, rightful owner of all those little affectionate gestures he gives him. "They woke me up with all this noise" 

"Unforgivable" mumbles the younger, seeming like he really is ready to fall asleep again as he caresses Taeyong’s silver blonde hair. "They really are shameless if the don't leave my boyfriend sleep" 

"Your what?" Purrs Taeyong, smiling this time with a silly, playful smile. They really are going to play this game by turning the stressful moments into something positive? Because Taeyong could have used a little bit of that for years now and he is up to it. "What did you just call me, Chittaphon?" 

"Can't I use that word now?" He tauts back, hiding his actual nerves, chuckling and leaving a tingly kiss under Taeyong's jawline. "I like how it sounds" 

"Really? Maybe I should use it too"

“You won’t see me complain about that”

"But you didn't ask me" whines the older.

"You are right… should I go on my knee or something?"

"That's for marriage, stupid"

"What I suppose it won't be during spring under any circumstances" Taeyong slaps his shoulder, chuckling with amusement. "Okay so… can I be your boyfriend?" 

The smile that the tailor flaunts is blindingly bright. "Yes, you can" 

“But… we are never telling our children how we started”

Taeyong laughs, amused with the situation and honestly endeared. “We’ll tell them we met in a cafe and our first date was in a greenhouse painting plant pots”

He pulls him in for another kiss, but another loud ring of the doorbell crosses the air of the house, and this time, Ten hears it well enough to roll his eyes. 

"I'm going to discontent the intercom, be right back, I'm not done with this conversation" he says, kicking the blanket aside and rolling off the bed. 

He is still only wearing his underwear from the fun they had last night, and his hair is messy like never before, but Taeyong’s heart beats hard no matter the outfit. The latter can’t stop his impulse of grabbing his wrist to stop him before he goes away from the warm cocoon of blankets. 

Ten looks at him with surprise, yet his eyes drip softness, which overflows in the moment Taeyong puckers his lips and taps on them, clearly asking for a little kiss that Ten immediately indulges, butt flopping on the mattress and leaning across the double bed to kiss him. 

He takes his time, lightly brushing Taeyong’s pink lips and enjoying the contact that fills up his energy bar to go and face his reality again. 

"Let me go, cute devil" suggests Ten quietly, probably not very convinced of what he is asking for as the older kneads the flesh of his hips and waist, armed with his adorable, melting smile. 

"No"

"Didn't you want to sleep? Let me quiet them down so you can go back to sleep"

"Or…" begins Taeyong, growing a smile of no good intentions at all.

"Or?"

"You can get rid of the noise and join me in the shower. I'm dirty, and I still need to see if your freckle comes off, you know?"

Ten laughs amused and nods, feeling the mood that emanates from the tailor and actually agreeing that they really much need a shower. 

"To seal the boyfriends thing?"

"I like that"

"Then wait for me just a second"

The nth sound of the doorbell wakes up Ten's memory and finally puts him into action, grabbing a clean shirt that he has folded on his desk and some pants to, next, depart to the living room as he rubs his eyes and fixes his hair.

Taeyong jumps out from the bed as well, excitement growing at a gradual pace with the sudden prospect of a warm morning shower with a possible happy ending. 

He checks himself on the full body mirror of Ten’s bedroom, proving that as bad as his afternoon had kicked off the previous day, he doesn’t look too tired. 

He honestly slept well, and the couple of times that his dreams were interrupted by his dark thoughts and shaken him awake, he stopped to see Ten all wrapped up on the sheets and with his arm thrown over him to keep him near, which made him reassured in a tic. 

Affection is even weirder than attraction. 

Taeyong couldn't even point when his view changed and when the lust for Ten turned to be that warm tingle on his heart when they smiled at each other; but he wouldn't change it for the world and he won't let a couple of out of place comments online to break this for him.

His mood is rising up enough to push through and ignore the mentions that show up in his screen when he unlocks his phone, deleting them all and daring to enter in his instagram page quickly to change the notifications settings and keep them from appearing. 

Everything that comes up in the meantime is actually insane. 

The situation seems to be escalating as the news spread through the fashion community and those who are into its tea. 

Even Harin appeared to had been dragged into it and taken some time to drop a little insight, responding to someone who left a pretty petty comment below the picture she had posted with Taeyong a while back, after the fashion week events, where they both were sharing a seat on the hotel's hall with a nice duet pose. 

**[LiliHarin]:** So what if Ten Lee dates him? You don’t know either of them and you are babbling and spreading all that bigotry on my page. I know them both, and for a fact I can tell you they are the sweetest people I've met in this world. If it bothers you so much, block me. 

**[_jeongjaehyun]:** Harin noona is right. It's the 21th century already, do some research about diversity and then comment maybe? 

He stares at the text and thinks what to do.

He didn’t expect her to move like that even when she didn't know about their relationship before the rest of the internet, and that made him proud and motivated, but the fact that it was even necessary to clap back like that makes him sad. 

Not only that, but he is mad and also wants to snap some necks on Ten's behalf, watching some of his self-proclaimed supporters drag him through the dirt. They make him want to be a little bit of the sour bitch Lee Taeyong they talk about, but it's surely not a good idea to speak up yet with public comments and without professional advice, so he closes Instagram before he can mess up the situation worse. 

The erasure of those messages leaves the way free for more personal notifications through his kakao. 

[09:14] Johnny: Hey, Yongie, we saw all the news and then Doyoung told us a bit about it too. I just wanted to ask you if you guys are okay? I know it looks a mess now but it's gonna be okay because we are with you. I want you to know I'm here too, and I know I may have been the worst of the worst as a friend when it comes to you and Ten but I'm sorry about that and I want you to be happy. You always have all my support, okay? Lmk if you're okay when you can. 

[09:37] Princess Taeyong: I know Johnny

[09:37] Princess Taeyong: We are okay, we are staying at Ten’s home together and it's all okay because it's safe in here

[09:37] Princess Taeyong: i like it better if he is around, it feels comfortable and cosy 

[09:37] Princess Taeyong: and i gotta talk with my mom about all of this but i don't want that to arrive so soon so… yeah

[09:37] Princess Taeyong: Thank you for letting me know I can count on you ❤❤❤

[09:37] Princess Taeyong: And tell Jungwoo I love him too 😉😉 I know he is around, you said WE

[09:38] Johnny: he might be here, yeah 

[09:38] Princess Taeyong: got you two~ red handed~ lovebirds ~

[09:38] Johnny: 😳😳😳

[09:38] Princess Taeyong: but i'm seriously okay, don't worry 

[09:38] Johnny: jungwoo here, we love you bitch!!! give him a comfort bj!!!! 🥰🥰🥰

Taeyong chuckles. Honestly, for more stupid Jungwoo is trying to be, he is about to get into something similar. He has been thinking about doing some new stuff with Ten for a while, and this seems to be the perfect occasion to space out and not do anything but taking a vacation away from the world.

Yet Ten is taking a while now. 

As soon as his mind processes that fact, Taeyong quickly raises his head up from his screen, concerned about the absence of his newly proclaimed boyfriend, and attempting to leave the room in a rush just in case something happens and he needs his help. 

He almost exists the room straight away, but he is pretty much naked and that wouldn't be favorable if he has to fight a nosy journalist at the door, so he steals a clean pair of underwear - since his is not in a good state to be reused- and Ten’s gray sweatshirt from yesterday, dressing up in a rush and going to the wide living room. 

Ten has his arms crossed over his chest and stands in front of the intercom's screen. The cats are starting to twirl around his feet as he stares quietly at the image that the security cam shows of the outside. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asks, needing all the bravery within him. 

Ten lols his head to the side to look at the designer, but he can’t tell what his expression means beyond the fact that it looks incredulous, since the angle doesn't let him see what the model is looking at.

"Would you come here and see this?"

Taeyong gives a side look at the intercom and then he tiptoes towards Ten, wrapping his arms around his waist and looking at the screen, shy and scared, from the top of his shoulder.

He sure didn't expect what he witnesses, which elicits a small chuckle that goes with Ten’s huff, understanding now why he looks surprised. 

The model finally presses the mic button to speak with the outsiders, waiting in the street. 

"What in the world are you doing there?" 

"Waiting for you to open the damn door. We brought breakfast from the bakery, or do you and Taeyong want to die of starvation?" 

"You woke him up tho, do you know what time it's?"

"It’s okay, Jaehyun" butts in Taeyong. "But I will only forgive you if you got me cake" 

"Hey hey hey" whines Doyoung, moving Jaehyun aside to get his face closer to the camera. "Don't get exigent, Jaehyun came all the way here to get you comfort food"

"I got sweet potato cubes? Doyoung said you would like them, so we got some in our way here" 

Ten ppfs, amused with the situation, letting the button go. At least the journalists that are probably flying around his house are not bold enough to ring his doorbell so furiously. 

He looks at Taeyong, whose face is still resting on his shoulder and flaunts now a pleased smile with tints of smugness. 

"What's this mix of people?" Giggles Ten, reminding Taeyong that the model lacked that piece of information he got the day before when Jaehyun gave him a phone call. 

Is not like he knows a lot, either, so he shrugs his shoulders. 

He is aware of how Doyoung had confessed Jaehyun is his type but he highly doubts they are somewhere near a relationship of any type yet. 

"I can't really tell what's their vibe" 

"We created a monster with the meeting of those two, you know that, right?" 

"But… They got us sweet potato" 

"Are you that easy, Yongie?" Jokes Ten. "Snacks are enough to be forgiven by you?"

"They are almost sold out everywhere because they stopped making them" pouts the designer, defending his point. "And they probably got you the darkest and most undrinkable coffee they got in  _ DochiMochi _ too, so" 

"But what about our shower?" Purrs Ten, softly, scooting closer to Taeyong to almost kiss him, the ghost of his lips floating over his own. "I was all keen to do that" 

"Later" mumbled Taeyong, kissing his lips gently. "Open the door for them, I'm hungry and it's good if I take something energetic before we do funny business" 

Ten rolls his eyes, but is all dramatism as he lets Taeyong kiss him deeper and his finger smashes the opening button to allow the unusual couple of their friends to get in the house to the annoying electric sound of the intercom. 

"Thank goodness it was your idea in the first place" 

"I'll fuck you later" Taeyong attains to say between the smooches of the model and the giggles that come from the tingles Leon is provoking with his fuzzy body as he bumps his head against Taeyong’s ankles. Quickly, Ten separates from him a bit with his eyebrows up to see the designer's lopsided sneer. "You heard that right" 

"And you really want me to let them in now?" 

"Oh wait, you are needy?" Says Taeyong, deciding where he is going to go with this. "But I do it for you, because you seem to be the type of boy who gets everything he wants. And I mean, with those eyes, who wouldn't give it to you? But… not me" 

Ten purses his lips in a pressed up smile. 

The door, then, bursts open and the energetic typhoon that's Jung Jaehyun enters the apartment. 

"Good morning, lovebirds!" He roars like a frat boy showing up in a party, making the model tilt his head towards the door with that half annoyed and half amused expression of his. "Look at them, all over each other. The ones that were not a pair!"

"Tone it down, dude, shit" whines Ten funnily as he gets dragged by the make-up artist and pulled up on his arms, away from Taeyong's reach. 

The latter smiles and giggles, watching Ten fight back with a man that’s so clearly taller and broader than him. They don’t really care, they are like two siblings going off at their parent's livingroom as Leon follows and jums behind them. 

Taeyong picks Louis up and pats his head, giving some attention to the chill cat. 

"Hey, Taeyong" greets Doyoung, coming in the house more gently, after Jaehyun and closing the door behind himself "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah… A bit sad because of the situation and… well, honestly? My mother and I have to talk about this and I don't know how to tell her. I didn’t want her to find out like this but… it happened" 

"Your mom is a great, kind woman" says his friend coming closer to him to tap his shoulder, eyes a bit elusive. Louis jumps off from his arms and goes to hide to the bedroom "I'm sure that she will understand when you explain everything to her"

"She always wanted me to marry a good girl and have kids and all of that" he says quietly. "But I can't give her that, I just simply can't go against myself in this" 

He knows Ten is looking at him now, eavesdropping, as he has got to release himself from Jaehyun’s hold. 

Taeyong didn't want to say this concern earlier because the model was clearly needing some comfort instead of more obstacles in their way, but he doesn't really want to hide things that may concern both of them, and he definitely can't lie to Doyoung’s face just like he doesn't do it with Johnny. 

"Well, I'm…" begins Ten. In less than a second, Taeyong realizes that his cheeks start flushing, shrinking slightly now that there are other people to hear him talk about these things. "I'm not a girl, but… I'm… I'm good, I can be a good son-in-law" 

Taeyong cocks his head to the side, eyes big as he hears Ten shuttering at one of the cutest moments of his. 

"Oh my god, I'm going to yell" mutters Jaehyun behind him. "That's so cute"

"Shut up, Jaehyun, we are having a moment here" 

"That's why"

"I know" cuts Taeyong out, smiling brightly at the model. His heart does feel like the smile is the most sincere one he has given someone in years. "You are a great person to be around, I knew that from the start. Every mother would like to have you in the family" 

"Yeah" continues Doyoung. "Mrs. Lee as well. She is a good mother, I'm sure she would at least give a chance to the one you bring home, Taeyong"

"You wanna do that one day?" Asks Taeyong, clearly not speaking to Doyoung right now, but to Ten. "Come around and all of that?"

"Yeah" he breathes out. "Would love that a lot"

Now Jaehyun legitimately seems like he is about to yell at the top of his lungs like someone who's really enjoying a TV drama after lunch. Taeyong can't blame him, he himself could start spilling happy tears any moment, eyes glazing with emotion. 

"So… everything is good?" Asks Doyoung again, trying to make sure his friend has gotten over the first impact of the scandal. Taeyong smiles at him too and nods. "Good, I'm super glad to hear that. Now, Taeyong, I beg you… put some pants on" 

"Yah!" Protests the designer, forgetting his momentary rush of love to pull down from the hem of the gray hoodie in order to cover his legs a little bit more. Is not so useful, but he is blushing and really hoping to make a difference. "Don't look, then!" 

"It's literally just there! I can't do anything!" 

"Go and steal some pants from my closet" says Ten, trying to hold back from laughing, unlike Jaehyun, whose guffaws are loud and lovely because of the friends' dynamics. 

"I… I can put mine on" he mutters, still tugging from the material with the hope it magically stretches and covers him up to his knees. 

"Whatever you want"

He eyes Ten, bashful like the model barely saw him since the first day they met. His lips are being bitten, getting ready for what he has to say. 

This is what happens when you do things with your eyes blindfolded. 

"Where…?" 

"Jaehyun" jumps out Doyoung, moving like a spring to hook his arm with the other one's to push him away from such an embarrassing situation. "Let’s set the table for breakfast. You tell me where the kitchen is" 

That only gets Jaehyun to laugh harder, probably because Doyoung is almost redder than Taeyong himself, but the make-up artist lets him drag him away from the scene that’s obviously too laced with intimate questions for him to stand it. 

"Probably on the floor, baby. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was throwing them" just says Ten with a little chuckle where compassion is prying. "I'll set the table with them, okay? Go change" 

"This is a boyfriend strike, Chittaphon" 

Ten burst into laughing, all high-pitched and lovely like Taeyong remembers and loves. He could spend hours hearing him laugh and live with happiness. 

It rips a smirk out of him too. 

"Another thing that is going to get me amused as I try to discover, what happens when I get three" 

Well, that really sends Taeyong back to the bedroom with a happy mood. 

The overall situation has them a bit under the weather, that can’t be denied, but after all the yearning, fear of being caught and weeping for actually being caught, Ten carries it better than neither of them ever expected. 

When Taeyong returns to the kitchen he has barely visited in this house, he notices there has been a dinner table all the time. 

His only memory of it used to be the moment of hatred towards Ten’s refrigerator as he poured water in his glass and stretched out the minutes of Taeyong’s ferocious wait. 

The table is now setted, as Doyoung had said. 

Both him and the make-up artist are sitting at one side, chatting calmly -about road trips, if Taeyong doesn’t fail to pick up some words- as Ten gets hot water ready on a kettle and a coffee pot. They had also heated up some milk and settled it on a cute glass jar that steams up on the table. 

Before sitting, he goes to the model, picking up the kettle to help him carry everything to the table. Ten gives him a quiet smile that warms him from his toe to the crown of his head, heart beating fast by only that gesture. 

It feels wild, but extremely good. 

"It'd be alright" Ten musters. "Okay? Try to be relaxed" 

Taeyong acknowledges the danger of a sentence like that in this moment, but he wants to swallow it down and forget a little bit about it, nodding. 

Then they sit at the free side of the table, opposite to the other two. 

To be honest, Taeyong suddenly notices how odd the situation is. How long has passed since he doesn't see The Kim Doyoung sitting next to a man that doesn’t belong to their friend group with such a calm air? It must have been years. 

Doyoung always likes things to be constructive and, even if he wreaks havoc sometimes like everyone will, his love slips are less habitual than Taeyong’s by far. 

Well, Taeyong is in magazine pages at the moment, so he wouldn't say his method is the most appropriate to do things in a way that's not hella unsettling. 

"Coffee, Doyoung?" Asks Ten, with the jar on his hand. 

"Latte" 

"Okay" he nods, pouring just enough of the liquid in the cup for Doyoung to add milk later on. "Jaehyun?"

"Yep" he says, taking care of opening the bag of sweet potato cubes he had mentioned and put them in a bowl near Taeyong’s spot with a knowing smile; all under the attentive eyes of the baker, observing quietly and making Taeyong chuckle and shake his head. 

"Baby?"

"Just tea" responds Taeyong in a heartbeat when Ten calls him by that nickname. "Thanks" 

The designer ignores the clearly amused expression that makes wrinkles appear around Jaehyun’s eyes. 

"So…" begins the model, finally pouring himself a verberage and leaving the coffee pot aside. "Shoot me, Jaehyun. I know the awful part comes now, so let's get rid of that quickly" 

"You are not letting us have breakfast first?" Complains Jaehyun, proceeding to basically shove a spoonful of tiramisu in his mouth. 

If Taeyong wasn't concerned to the bone due to his own dating problems, he would have laughed at the way Doyoung is eyeing Jaehyun’s tongue scoop some cream off the corner of his lips, completely quiet and curled in a corner. 

"I prefer knowing now and be chill by the time I have to digest all the food" This finishes explaining why Ten was reluctant to let these two -especially Jaehyun- come in the house. Taeyong still attributes a good part of it to the steal of Ten's shower moment, anyways. "So? I'm still the hot topic?" 

"Yeah" confirms Jaehyun, leaning on his palm. 

Taeyong gears up from the upcoming conversation."So is someone finally telling me what the big headline is?" 

"You didn't tell him?" Accuses Jaehyun, eyes nailed on the model while Doyoung comes back to Earth and his eyes soften looking at his friend. "Ten!"

"Don't say it like that, judgemental idiot" says Ten. "It’s not like I wanted to launch him into that pool right away, you know it's a lot. And besides, we had things to talk about first" 

"You guys talk without pants, uh?"

"Easy there" warns Taeyong to the make-up artist with a smirk, making Ten smile as he sips from his mug. "We can multitask" 

Doyoung’s frown makes it funnier, and the steady remark from the designer makes Ten almost choke on the coffee.

"I already hate them as a couple" jokes the make-up artist with the man by his side, but then, he goes back to a more serious look and voice. "But seriously now, you want to know, Taeyong?"

The designer gives a look to Ten, as if he was asking for an opinion. The younger nods once, firmly and with gentle eyes.

"Yeah, after all, I'm going to need to know sooner or later" 

"Someone took pictures of you two getting close while leaving the Fashion Week afterparty and then, a journalist took the chance to write some stupid article that doesn't really say shit. The headline, though… since the pictures are a bomb, it's spreading like wildfire because… you know?"

"Two guys, yeah" says Taeyong, eyes falling to the table. "It’s a mediatic dream" 

"Yeah, sorry for that, it fucking sucks" musters Jaehyun, gloom sinking his voice. "Mark told me that the agency moved some lawyers and they are trying to track where the notice was born. I think they said something about some journalist named Julianne Yoon"

Taeyong squints his eyes. He has heard that name somewhere. 

"Rings a bell, Yong?" Asks Doyoung, picking on his expression's change. 

All the men around the table look at him. 

"I... think she gave me a business card that night" he chuckles, irony making him laugh bitterly. 

"I'm gonna kill her" say Ten and Doyoung in unison, looking at each other afterwards with surprise. 

Both stan a point, though. 

"Did she bother you?" Asks Ten. 

The designer is starting to understand he can get his man to go ballistic over this particular fact, but that's not really a downside for him at the slightless. 

He shakes his head. 

"No, she only… she introduced herself and talked a little with me because she was sitting next to me. I thought she was being nice, but I guess I misjudged it" 

"Don't blame yourself, you couldn't have known," adds Jaehyun, still eating his tiramisu, all collected. "And it wasn't her best move, either. If you find that card, pass it to the agency, it may help" 

"So what now?" Says Doyoung, sounding pretty mad and not knowing how he should channel that. "What can we do?"

Jaehyun gives a quick glance between Ten and Taeyong and then jumps to Doyoung with a tender sigh. 

"There's nothing else they can do" 

"What?" 

"The news is out there, and there are pictures that are… quite obvious, so you can't stop a voice like that now" explains Jaehyun. 

Ten gives a sad glance to Taeyong, silently saying sorry for the gazillion time, the older answering with a half smile of compliance. 

"Well" Ten says. "I can sue her"

"Do it" encourages Doyoung. "Sue her and make her pay, then buy Taeyong a Dior bag with her money"

"Can we relax?" Chuckles Taeyong, impressed by the unraveling of rage from the couple born during the '96. "I don't want more trouble, only piece" 

"But" continues the make-up artist, staring at them with curious and cautious eyes. "Are you… going to confirm it? Because I assume you are...yeah"

"Yeah" says Ten, ripping the smile from the make-up artist. "We are"

"Fucking finally you fucking idiot have to wait for the most exasperating moments" expresses Jaehyun, gesturing widely to make hispoint go through. "Gosh, Taeyong, good luck with him" 

Taeyong chuckles, contrary to Ten’s frown. 

"I was trying my best for him, okay?" The model states, symbolically threatening Jaehyun with his spoon. "So I don't know. I hate to do press rolls to confirm something. I'm a model, I look pretty, not talk pretty"

"Yeah, you suck at speech" corroborates the make-up artist. "But it might be better to front it in a couple of days and make people more appeased"

"How?"

"I don't know, man, give them a little bit of cheesy words, tell them your romantic story, do the Hunger Games love arc act or something"

"No way" wines Ten, taken aback. "That's personal"

"The whole thing is supposed to be personal, but is not" sighs Doyoung. "Ain't that the point?" 

"Doyoung" calls out Taeyong. 

Ten looks at the designer, his eyes shining with compassion. He sighs with sorrow. "What do you think?"

"Me?" Asks the older, pointing at himself. 

"Yes, we are two people in this relationship, so what's your opinion?" 

That straight away reminds him why he said yes to all the sentimental ordeal with Ten. Because of things like that. Because he is sweet, and kind, and even thought he wanted to drag him all across the damn bed half an hour ago, he makes him feel safe on top of everything, and that’s the most important thing among everything. 

"I think… for the sake of my career, we better say something before I pass to history like the evil fame seeker" 

"Oh shit" says Ten, covering his lips with his hand as he falls into the realization. "Did they…?"

"Hmm" says Taeyong, nodding with his mouth full of sweet potato to lessen the impact. "Say that I'm with you for the attention? Yes. That's why I thought I'd let you know I didn't want you like that since long ago"

Ten looks absolutely disgusted and indignated by the idea, which makes Taeyong feel mellow but also feel a bit bad for Ten. 

Maybe he really wanted to keep it secret. 

"In Taeyong’s defense" butts in Doyoung looking at the model. "They also say you are with him because he is the prettiest bitch you could ever aspire to"

"That doesn’t help!" Complains Ten, but Doyoung smiles amused with Taeyong’s undertone laugh. 

"Do they?" 

"I have read all class of things too" adds Jaehyun, joining Doyoung in his little seek of fun to lift the mood. There's trust enough between them. "Someone wrote that you two should sandwich them"

"No, thanks, I already deal with too much" 

Ten chokes on his coffee, this time for real, and Doyoung recoils in his chair, an expression of fear on his face as he is scared that the model would spit it out all over him and his new clothes. 

"At least there's people who took it with a nice heart" shrugs Taeyong. "I read some supportive things too. I saw yours, Jaehyun…. Thanks"

"Well, you can count on me" says the make-up artist. "And that's real talk, Yong" 

"Thanks, Jaehyun, for real. Maybe you were right… I'm braver than I thought" 

Ten looks at them intrigued, missing information about the conversation they once had in the make-up studio. 

Jaehyun winks at him, and then, he continues eating his breakfast. 

The air gets a bit lighter, and Taeyong feels like his airways clear up with a fresh gush of air after a long time. 

Sometimes, good things cost the sacrifice of hard moments. 

"So" he says, looking at Jaehyun and Doyoung alternatively. "You two have been hanging out or what?"

Jaehyun chuckles, seemingly careless, but his ears are getting redder than a traffic light. 

"We get along"

Taeyong sneers silently. Yeah, it sounds familiar. 

*******

He loved the breakfast, and he loved the support that only a meeting with friends could give. 

After all the hiding, dodging and uncertainty, sitting at Ten’s kitchen with a warm tea, Doyoung and Ten in whom he trusted giving him comfort; and also the reassuring tranquility of Jaehyun’s knowledge about the celebrity world, was so good for him. 

It lifted weight from Taeyong's shoulders. And yeah, he was strong enough to bear some charges sometimes, he was hard to sink completely, but letting go of his concerns felt as good as for any other human being. 

However… Taeyong is glad his friends are gone now. 

Because he really wanted to do this, wet cheek pressing on Ten’s shoulder blade as the water pours from the fancy shower of Ten’s bathroom and his arms wrap around the model’s hips. 

He hums, as he swings his hips lazily and almost imperceptibly behind Ten, just as if he was mesmerised by the warmth.

The water runs, washing out the leftover traces of dry fun from the night that preceded them and his fingers trickle up on Ten’s waist, his touch lingering and yet so sensuous, adding the specially sensitive glide of wet skin over wet skin as the flow of the liquid runs down Ten’s body, directly under the torrent. 

"Still in the mood?" He whispers over Ten’s ear, playing with his blunt nails on the smooth abdomen of the thai. 

"For?" He responds, the smirk audible in his voice. 

"Sex" 

Ten makes his head fall back, his slightly shorter stature making it rest right against the crook between Taeyong’s shoulder and neck. The drops falling off his face and messing with his black hair all over the place makes him look like a flower in a very hot rain of summer. 

Of course, Ten’s shower is not like the one Taeyong has at home. This one is a built-in shower, wide enough for both to stand inside without being all over each other -even if the case is not like that- while being comfortable. The floor is covered with small tiles, like a pool, while the walls are slate. Except from the one that's glass and prevents the water to spill into the bathroom's floor. 

"I've been waiting for my boyfriend's promise" he says, with his chest full and tight. 

"You really like the word, uh?"

"It suits you" 

"Then you should see how it looks on you…" murmurs Taeyong, who doesn't miss a beat after feeling the shiver that shakes the thai's body. 

He already knows what has been in his mind for a while, the thing he is eager to do... and so his lips press under Ten's jawline and then traces the line of his neck down, where he attaches his mouth. First he only goes for a kiss, but then it opens up and his tongue runs over the gathered beads of water that glide on his skin. 

"You were right" exhales Ten, audibly pleased with the gesture. "Breakfast was a good idea" 

"Told you so" 

"Maybe I should really sue that bitch and take you in for a wardrobe renovation trip" 

"My wardrobe can do well without her cash" he hums over his skin, still not done with it. 

Nowhere near done, in fact. 

He has been waiting for the moment that arrives just right away, as he sucks on his neck and hears the quiet hiss from the model that comes with the slight sting of a love mark. 

He doesn’t waste his time, just pulling away a little to admire the building tone of red that's forming a patch on Ten’s tan skin and going back down to continue, willing to make it look violet. 

"I wonder if you meant the other thing you said, what you said you'd do after breakfast" 

Taeyong smiles, getting Ten’s tilt right away. 

"I did" he croons, hand slowly searching for the buds on Ten's tender chest. "I'm just going slow-paced for you"

Ten only hums in response, feeling how his nipples perk up with excitement when the sensation of Taeyong’s fingers pinching them join that from the brush of the water. 

Unable to stop himself -and not needing to do so- Taeyong gently massages them, drawing circles with his thumb and pitching ever so slightly it's barely anything, just enough to hint the honey for Ten without letting him taste it as his pleasure builds up.

The touches are too light and unfinished to provoke more than anticipation in Ten but that's exactly what Taeyong wants and he knows. 

He had it coming, but his nipples are becoming furiously hard and eager for a proper stimulation. 

Nonetheless, the older's hand travels down again next, stroking his stomach, now taut because Ten is holding his air back. 

It makes Taeyong amused, encouraging him to attach his mouth against his shoulder and create a couple for the purple bloom of his neck. 

The model clicks his tongue, upset that Taeyong had abandoned the play with his sensitive chest. 

"I was liking that" he babbles, lacing his fingers with Taeyong’s and guiding them back up.

As expected, Taeyong puts resistance and stops him midways. 

"I'll play with them more later" chuckles the older, dropping to the thai's hips and then to his ass, cupping his cheek with one hand. 

He pulls from the flesh, opening his cheeks apart and making Ten trembles from head to toe with a quiet sound that sounds like music to the older when the water runs through. 

He let's go sharply, so his skin claps against skin. "I have other things to focus on now" 

He takes a second to admire Ten’s length turning stiff just with the foreplay, to enjoy the shaky breath he lets out when Taeyong tugs from his butt again, harder, with his fingers sinking in his flesh before he lets go. A part of him, drinking all of those sensations, would just push Ten out of the shower and onto the bed to shove himself inside, quickly getting satisfaction for both of them, but that isn't supposed to be the plan right now. 

"Hold onto something, baby" warns Taeyong, whose arm that was snaking around Ten’s hips is now traveling to the lower back of the model.

He basically melts inside as he sees Ten compelling, body leaning forward to plant his palms on the wall, arching his back a little and sticking his ass out. 

He is heartstopping from behind, with golden skin, and impossible body proportions. His shoulders are broad while his waist and hips are small. Not forgetting his cute butt, round and just about right, fluffy enough to want to sink teeth on it. 

The water runs down his back, caressing the crack in between his buttocks and giving him another reason to shake. 

"Like this?" He asks knowingly, faking some innocence as Taeyong stares motionless and silent for a solid second. "Yongieeee" he croons, dragging the word as he pulls back further, pushing his plush ass against Taeyong’s front. "Like this?" 

The designer yeets himself back to reality, as his blood starts boiling and the need of making Ten moan grows bigger together with his member while he watches and listens to him. 

"Yes, like that. Can you keep it up for me?" He asks, as his hand reaches back and grabs his ass cheek once more, not letting go this time but pulling it aside for better access. 

Then, his finger moves down, stroking the tender flesh around Ten’s opening, gently rubbing circles around as he lets the younger fill up with anticipation. 

"I will try my best" he numbles. "Try to be good for you… but I can't promise anything" 

This would have been so insane for the Taeyong of a few months back, the thought would have just made him dismay, but right now it's so real and confidential that at the first faint breath from Ten’s parted lips, the blonde knows what to do, pushing his first digit inside and against the slight resistance of Ten’s walls. 

He is tight, but Taeyong knows how to work around, moving his finger in slowly and drawing circles as he pumps in and out slowly, wider as he goes and making Ten cry out in pleasure when the burn becomes only a devouring heat that pounds from his entrance to the rest of his body. 

Taeyong brings another finger out, pushing it in together with the other one. He goes slow at first, but when he is midway inside, Ten sinks himself back, welcoming Taeyong’s fingers to the knuckles and moaning to the beat of it. 

He stops there, clenching around him as his head drops, hanging in between his arms leaned on the wall. 

Taeyong gives him a break, pausing for him to adjust to the stretch and leaning his chest over his back to kiss the line up from his shoulder to his ear, rubbing small circles with the thumb of his free hand onto Ten’s lower back. 

Using the only moisture of water, he knows it's difficult to not get hurt.

"Go on" hushes Ten, with his small voice. It's a rare mirage to have him behave all docile like this, but Taeyong loves it, knowing it's born from the abandonment of his worries to give himself in to intimacy. He whines more, pushing forth and then back again against Taeyong's hand with a wave of his hips. "Go on, please, go on…" 

His words grow overjoyed each time, swinging his hips for the older that, needless to say, feels the twitching in his groin with every inch of the view, the scene growing hotter. 

Ten looks back, angling his head as he can. 

Taeyong hasn't moved yet, engraving the breathtaking view of a wet, flushed and disheveled Ten down to his mercy in his brain. 

The way he looks back at Taeyong is insane, so cute and devoted to him. 

"I need you to relax a little" recommends Taeyong, voice soft and yet firm, blood rushing and tingling when Ten looks at him with his big eyes before he drops his head again. "Come on, baby, you can be good and I know that" 

Not without another shudder under the falling water, Ten takes his breath in and loosens the tension of his walls, allowing Taeyong to slide all the way out before pulling in again. 

"Fuck"

He repeats it, watching Ten writhe. It's glorious to see him like this, so well-behaved and willing to get fucked by Taeyong, almost pleading for it with his pants and the expression of his eyes. 

The repetition of the pumps inside start, and Taeyong is getting deeper each time he slams in, making Ten’s back arch for him as if he is posing his best photoshoot, groaning at the sansation. 

"Liking that?" Groans Taeyong, tone going straight to a growl. His body presses harder against Ten’s back so the model's cheek ends up against the wall.

He moans in response. His sounds are cute, nothing similar to his usually playful demeanor to a point that outsiders would have doubt it belonged to the same person.

The third finger comes in suddenly, but there's no problem to it, just a pretty obscene moan as the model melts over the slate of the shower. 

Taeyong keeps working him open, pushing harder and deeper, loving the way Ten accompassed the moves of his hips with his pace to get himself even more bliss. 

Taeyong feels so impossibly hot right now. He senses the pressure building up in his lower stomach, feeling like he could burst out just right away. 

"Please, Taeyong" moans Ten, putting his mind somewhere else that's not how he is struggling. "I'm going to cum" 

"Already?" He blurts out without even thinking. As if he is not about the same rate with much less than what Ten is having. 

The model chuckles, but his own laughs makes him vibrate and suck up a gasp, forehead pressed on the tiles of the wall as his arms are giving up. 

He nods weakly. "Yeah, already" 

Taeyong kisses his back sweetly, delicate like the very same water that sprays over them, but he continues to pump in his hole, a steady hand holding his hips. 

"You want to? Wanna cum like this?"

"H-hmh" 

"Really?" Croons Taeyong, amused with Ten’s squirms. He is so cute that his heart clenches. "I don't hear you, baby"

"Yes" he barely says between his struggling breathing. "Yes, please, Taeyong, like this is so good" 

The older speeds up the moves of his hand, trying to forget his hard need of being himself who pounds inside him, ravaging his hole. 

A pulsing sensation rips Ten's moan out, sitting down hard onto his fingers and throbbing around it, the bottom of his stomach tightening. He rocks back and forth faster himself, another moan going out, and then a few more coming more and more often, getting louder and shorter, losing himself and the control of his now erratic hips moves. His muscles tense and his head goes back, only taking the sharp push of Taeyong’s digits right onto his spot to make him orgasm, dripping untouched as his body spasms against the slate wall. 

He pants, chest going up and down while his forehead still rests against the wall and the water washes over his back.

Taeyong comes under the torrent, kneading Ten’s hips under the pads of his fingers, kissing him under his jaw and hugging him from behind. The model can probably feel the still unattended erection of the other brushing his very sensitive skin, for he jolts when Taeyong pressed against him. 

He waits, feeling the soothing beat of Ten’s heart through his back and enjoying the mild delight of his solid-state cock nuzzled against the soft form of Ten’s butt. 

"You know?" He mumbles with only a lullaby. Ten hums in response to indicate he is listening, his breath getting calmer but still half zoned out. "About what we were talking about earlier during breakfast… you know? About us coming forth, if you don't want to say anything… about us, I can cope"

"No" he whispers. "You were right"

"Are you sure? You didn't seem convinced earlier"

"Because I wanted to keep our secret for longer, build something steady with you and then do the rest. Don't get me wrong, I love this. You and me alone with our silence… I love that we are happening, but I hate the way it came out"

"Come on… you had a lot planned for me? More secret dates and all of that?" Tauts Taeyong, smiling all coy while he peppered Ten’s neck with gentle kisses. The model angles his head back again, eyes so tender that Taeyong knows immediately that they mean yes. "You've got me spoiled"

A part of the statement is true, Ten always takes so much care of him that he could never be thankful enough. 

Maybe he could, somehow, repay him for it. 

Right now his brain is half between making Ten’s heart relieved and the delicious brush he feels when the model moves his hips, gyrating slowly against his hardness, ever so slightly that it's not even a real stimulation but it makes him want to be swallowed by Ten’s tight ass balls deep. 

Instead, Ten turns around slowly, facing Taeyong and leaning his back on the damp wall. 

"I will say it," he says firmly. "You don't have to worry, because I will. I'll tell the press about us, no matter what. Ruining your career is something I don't want to see happen. Ever. Even if you said you don't like me back I would never drag you with me. Do you understand that?"

"Which is not going to happen. I'm not going to say I don't like you"

"That's not my point. I just mean-"

"That your heart is not empty. I know… I know, baby. That makes me fly, but if you feel like speaking would be a burden, we can rethink about it"

"No, I know it's the right thing to do. It's just that… I'm not good with words in front of cameras and I don't wanna fuck this up more. That’s what really concerns me" 

He is surprised to hear Ten coming forth about his worries for once, smiling tenderly at him to reassure him. His expression is quite vehement, for he is also happy to finally unlock all the responsible human functions of the model, now without the obstacle of the idea of the possible scenario where Taeyong runs away at the first turn of the celebrity wheel. 

"Ten, you won't mess up, okay? I trust you and I want you. We could even think about what to say together if you want"

"This is not about coping, Taeyong" he continues, following up with the full list of things in his brain. "If we date, I wouldn't want you to just… cope. I want you to be safe here and comfortable, have a place to grow together… truly, not just by bearing shit, this is not the 50s"

"I know, babe, but you don’t have to worry, I feel comfortable and safe, I can promise you that"

"So let it continue like that"

Taeyong can't help his smile. Maybe he is going to go through a slump when he gets out of this house, but at least it's worth it. 

Hearing him say those things to him is worth it. 

Maybe they went around, messed with the other and did things in a weird way, but they are finally here and he wouldn't have it any other way. 

Seeing Ten’s smile is worth it, so much that he is willing to go in front of that stuppid blogger and tell her that not even unveiling their secret they could be ruined. 

And, for a fact, watching the model scrunch his nose and shut his eyes tightly when Taeyong’s finger scoops the rest of the younger's beading high from the crown of his dick, is worth it. 

"In the future we are going to have to practice talking about important stuff without getting naked" suggests Ten, words real but actions contradicting him when his arms wrap around Taeyong’s neck and his leg rests on his hip, snaking around the tailor to pull him closer. 

"Why?" Asks Taeyong humoured. Just like Ten when he milked out their moments together before the press launched them to the open air, Taeyong is going to live this day to the maximum potential until he walks home to see his mother. "It’s enjoyable for me"

"Yeah, I can’t say I don’t... but it's way too distracting" 

"You are not paying attention to what I'm saying?" Teases the older with a sultry voice, tickling under the thigh Ten has on his hip and rolling against his hips with intent. Ten shivers just like he wanted him to. "What are you paying attention to, uh? Maybe… you can excuse yourself in the press roll and say you don't remember your speech because your bitch, Lee Taeyong, is too good at it" 

That quite gets the model there. He sucks a breath in, something coiling in his groin imagining the hypothetical situation. The suggestive, slow rocking of Taeyong’s body against his, sweetly bumping him onto the wall doesn’t help his mind to clear up. 

"Stick it in me already" 

Taeyong loves to hear that too much. 

He holds the younger safely, an arm behind the small of his back and the other hand hooked on Ten’s calve to keep his leg secure over his hip. His lips get busy attacking Ten’s neck as the latter clicks his tongue and squirms under him, drowning in anticipation.

It has been a long way to the moment where Ten surrenders this fast, so he has to enjoy it just like he used to do at first. He comprehends why the model did it, though, it's certainly arousing. 

"Magic word" he says, words muffled against his skin as he holds his stiff member and lines it up with Ten’s gaping hole, irremediably hissing himself with the delayed attention to his dick.

"Please" coughs Ten. And then, to the surprise of the older that's lost in the feeling of torching heat sucking his tip in and Ten’s nails digging on his shoulders, he adds. "Please, fuck me"

Taeyong mewls next to his ear, sinking in and penetrating Ten, opening him up as the other tenses against the wall. His back stretches up and his walls slowly adjust to accommodate his dick inside.

The model steadies himself as he can, his head dropping back with closed eyes and his hands holding on Taeyong’s shoulders, slowly sitting down on it. 

They stay like this for a minute, hugging each other under the shower, getting used to the girth that pulls Ten appart.

"Gosh, you are fucking tight" moans Taeyong, struggling to keep himself sane without pounding into his ass carelessly. "Is it okay there?"

"Deeper" groans Ten, voice hoarse. “Oh…. fuck! Just a bit deeper, baby”

Taeyong inhales, going down further onto the model, enjoying the insane feeling that envelopes him as he goes. It's so smooth, tight and hot… his dick is throbbing inside, and he is glad that Ten is probably over sensitive after an orgasm, because he ain't lasting long in that torrid state. 

He pauses halfway in, then goes out almost completely to sink in again, his skin slapping against Ten's own. 

His cock has grown fully erect again and brushes up against Taeyong’s abdomen as he begins pouncing, fucking him relentlessly, giving up the care he used before when he got him ready. 

Ten seems to remember then that the designer had been only pleasuring him and not himself, swallowing the knot on his throat to try and ease the gush of more and more arousal bubbling inside him. 

He bounces up and down on Taeyong as well as he can, matching the pace for both their pleasure's sake, soon noticing it has been a perfect idea, as they both gasp, mewl and try to push from the other, tangling into a messy kiss, wet all over the place and more breathy moans than kiss itself. 

Mindlessly, Ten purrs along as he goes, mouth parted under the ghost of Taeyong’s own lips, eyes glazed and absent.

For a moment, Taeyong is about to worry, but Ten forces a tiny "more, more, keep going" out of his mouth, and so he pumps into him, over and over, knowing that neither of them would take it for much longer. He can feel the tightening of his balls, the coiling sensation in his lower stomach and the sparkles that threaten to break him apart.

"Touch yourself, baby" he moans. Ten opens his shut eyes to stare at Taeyong for a second before his mind clicks. "Come on, I know you want, let's do it very good for you"

Ten hmms, extasiated and beginning to tense around Taeyong for the second time in a row. 

Obediently for a change, he follows Taeyong’s advice and wraps his hand around his shaft, pumping as fast as Taeyong moves, pleasure consuming him and swallowing him whole.

The thai is breathless, feeling a freezing stop of his system as its own choice before he dashes down with a fiery slap of sensations that's accompanied by the twitching of Taeyong’s cock as he spills his hot load inside him.

Ten exhales with force, and then he chuckles, eliciting a smile from Taeyong too even if hidden on the crook of Ten’s shoulder with exhaustion. 

"Shit, we could have died doing that, I don't even dismiss the possibility of me falling on the floor right now" 

"Don't" giggles Taeyong. "If we have to head to the hospital it's going to be hard to make this romance look serious to the press. Before we can say how nice everything is, they would be talking about us being two deviant goblins" 

"Honestly, they would be a bit right" 

"Yeah but they don't need to know" says the older with a funny wink as he helps Ten go back to a natural standing position. “Because if I have to talk about you to the snoopers, at least let them know you are a sweet, interesting man I’m falling for. My precious boyfriend”

Ten stares at him in silence for a solid second, almost seeming like he has never seen Taeyong before and this is the first time he sees the light in a thousand years. 

“You are going to end me, Lee Taeyong, I believe that’s your only goal in this life”

“And getting you in that design of mine!” he clarifies, all witty, closing the water tap once they both seem to be definitely clean. “We didn’t create the cheesy couple of breakfast deliveries for nothing!”

Ten giggles, soft and endeared, nodding as he follows Taeyong, who is wrapping a towel around himself, with his eyes. 

“I better prepare for all the things I’m going to have to say”

*******

As he expected, leaving Ten’s apartment in the afternoon resulted in not a very pleasant moment of his life. 

Ten had insisted that he could drive Taeyong home, but after a very insistent recommendation from Mark Lee about why going out from the apartment together with photographers around so soon was a pretty bad idea, Taeyong ended up on the backseat of Mark's car as he drove. 

Suddenly he feels smaller than he is, still curled inside Ten's grey hoodie, paired now with proper jeans and a bit of makeup just in case he had to front someone, doing it prettily. 

He is fidgeting and playing with his own fingers, spacing out a lot as he assimilates that the denial phase is over now and he is heading to his house now, where his mother is, most likely, going to be holding a lot of questions. 

Now that he is mostly alone with his thoughts and a little bit calmer than he had been the day before, he can’t help but sink his hand on his pocket to extract his phone, unlocking it and heading to actually whatever social media app he finds first, which happens to be Twitter. He has been a long time out of this platform because he didn’t feel like telling his life to strangers lately but, oh well, life is getting the quiet months back and with interests on arrears. 

He doesn't have to scroll a lot to find what he is looking for. He tilts his head, staring at the screen with tired eyes. 

Ten was right, he doesn't look too bad on the picture, he is lucky that he was wearing that outfit. 

It's a bit cynical to think like this, he acknowledges it with a quiet chuckle. What to do if not at least hoping to look pretty in the public slander? 

He zooms in, staring at the snap and thinking that, after all, Ten and him really look all over each other. They weren't posing, nor doing anything special, but the way Ten’s lips smiled as he leaned on Taeyong’s ear to promise him they would be alone at home soon, and Taeyong’s happy demeanour hearing that, looked all so cute as a set. 

Maybe it was more obvious than they wanted to admit back then. 

The headline is pretty generic, just a tittle about them probably being dating, but they had the nerve to tag them, and the comments are endless under the article. 

He doesn't bother reading them. 

"Hyung" calls Mark from the pilot seat. Taeyong lifts his eyes to look at the personal assistant through the rear view mirror. "You are quiet there, are you okay? How has it been with Ten?" 

Taeyong diverts his eyes, but his lips curl up slowly on the corners. 

"It was a weird experience, to be honest. I never thought that I would have to do something like this, deciding if I take the public slander for a boy I like. As he said, I would have liked this to happen differently, to establish our thing before everyone could find out, tell my mother in advance... but I can endure it if it's worth it"

"Then you like Ten?" 

Taeyong giggles skeptically, not expecting the fact that that had to be a question at all. Maybe their secret was more extensive than he thought, but that's strange now that someone launched out there. Maybe this Julianne Joon just threw a dart with her closed eyes and hit the target accidentally. 

"You don't really know, Mark? Doyoung was right, I look super whipped on this one" he sings, leaning on the back of the personal assistant's seat and putting the screen of his phone near him so he could look. Needless to say, Mark only moves his eyes a bit to the screen before he continues to look at the road ahead because he doesn't want to kill his friend's boyfriend today. "But I don't look bad"

"You finally looked, uh?"

"Just now, because your Ten hyung is a bit too protective of me" he jokes, laughing with his own words, but then, his shoulders sink a bit. "He was really worried of me leaving quickly after this, wasn't he?" 

"Yeah, actually. If you keep me the secret, I can tell you”

“Sure, I’m a vault”

“He was terrified at the moment we told him the news. He was worried that you would decide it was not worth the time and the trouble… then he really sobbed”

"He did?"

"Man, I felt so bad for him, he was so sad to know it was out because he said you are uncomfortable when people makes you the target of attention like that"

"He was right… he is sharp when it comes to details" sighs Taeyong, a bit dispirited with the discovery of Ten’s suffering. "I don't like people talking about me but I like Ten enough to balance it out"

"That's so cheesy, it's sooo cheesy!" laughs Mark scrunching his nose. "But I'm happy to hear that, hyung. I thought that maybe you would actually break up with Ten"

"To the contrary. Keep me the secret too, Mark, but I was dying to rope him off" 

"Ten? Is he really that much of an eligible bachelor when it comes to guys?"

"Was" corrects the designer, lifting his finger with a savvy smile. "He  _ was _ an eligible bachelor, now he is my lovely"

"Still cheesy, but okay, I respect that. And you'll see… that now things are a bummer and it's me who have to drive you around, but in a couple of weeks everyone would have forgotten about this and life would be easier and you could be having dinner dates and all of that jazz"

"It’s okay if you have to drive me around, Mark, I like you" 

The young personal assistant seems to get a subtle blush on his ears, laughing nervously with Taeyong’s sincere remark, sounding funny and high-pitched enough to make Taeyong laugh along. He really has contagious laughter. 

"But you like Ten more, right? Are you going to say that?" 

"I wasn't, I wasn't! I was done with the cheesy stuff, I meant it. Of course I like him a lot, but you are nice to be around so I don't mind. In fact, if someone else had to give me the news yesterday I would have freaked out a lot more than I did with you"

"Really?"

"Yeah" 

"I try my best"

"Yeah, Mark, thank you" he says, going back to the correct position he has to hold in a moving car. 

He finally locks his phone, puts it in his bag and sighs. He is already recognizing the buildings around them as they pass, and he knows Mark is about to pull up the car to the side and stop in front of his house’s building. 

There’s a void inside him. 

The younger appears to look at him through the mirror again, hearing his gloomy exaltation. 

Curiosity makes itself visible in Mark's sparkly eyes and, once again, Taeyong feels like giving up to the words that he is holding, maybe with the hope of elongating the conversation before he has to jump off the vehicle. 

"How would you tell your parents about this?" He murmurs. He had promised himself not to let the topic sink him, but he can't help but feel worried. Is his mother, after all. "If they have already seen you in the arms of a famous man all over the place? What do you say to your mother then?" 

Mark finally stops the car in front of the big door of his building, disconnecting the motor and leaning his crossed arms on the wheel. 

“I don’t think I’m a good example in this field, I never had to sit my parents down and tell them something big like ‘this is who I’m dating and this is who I am’” says the personal assistant, pensive of his words. “But if you have a good relationship with your mother, I believe that all that she would want to hear, deep down, is that you are not having a hard time. Maybe it takes her a little bit of time, but I don’t think there are thunderbolts and lightnings”

Taeyong blinks fast. 

Would that be the case? The words of his mother about having a daugher-in-law and Taeyong being careful with his career would disappear in the wind once she discovered the fact that his son could do nothing in the heterosexual line without faking it and being miserable? Taeyong really wants to think that she will understand that he didn’t do this on purpose or to oppose her will, he always loves his mother and trusts her, but he is still fearful. 

He feels a little bit queasy, and there’s a very little amount of motivation that would lead him to this moment if it wasn't strictly imminent, but he is already at the front door and he can’t back down, basically because he would feel even more pathetic if he started running now, in front of Mark Lee and the other bystanders of the street. 

He takes air, clicks his tongue and finally opens the car’s door. 

“Hyung, wait” calls Mark suddenly, and the older pops his head inside the car once more. “I almost forgot, our staff boss gave me this for you. Bring it home”

Taeyong picks up what Mark hands out, which happens to be a big, yellow envelope, like the ones that are used to send parcells. It’s pretty light, and a part of Taeyong is almost sure for a moment that the thing is empty, but the logo of the model agency gives him the chills.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know, I’m just the delivery man” jokes Mark with a smile, comprehending soon enough that Taeyong is not exactly catching on the humoristic tone of his sentence right now. 

He is scared of the content, but he doesn’t have time for another disgrace right now, so he’ll talk with his mother first and then open that up. He just prays that it’s not a lawsuit for defamation or something like that, ignoring that if someone had to take legal action against someone, it would be him against that stupid journalist lady that put her nose in his relationship with Ten. 

“Okay, I will… I will open this later. Thank you for the ride, Mark, see you”

“Good luck, hyung. I’m sure it’ll be alright”

“Hope you are right” musters the older, closing the door finally and disappearing into the building. 

He paces towards the elevator and gives a head gesture to one of his neighbors that’s stopped in front of the mailboxes as a greeting, seeming calm but wanting to crawl out of his own skin.

The woman, in fact, follows the hot topic tailor with his eyes until the elevator doors close hurried up by Taeyong’s insistent tapping in the floor’s button. 

This is already being too embarrassing for him to function. 

He opens his kakaotalk while the elevator moves up to his floor, determined to type an indignated ‘how many fucking people reads OhMyNews? Omfg, sell my photocards with the fucking magazines’ in his chat with Ten, but instead of that, he lets the air go out from his nose. 

[19:24] T en 🔥: you may not say it, i have been learning that you are nothing close to be an oversharer, lee taeyong, but i know you are anxious even when you try to hide it from me 

[19:24] T en 🔥: your mom will understand

[19:24] T en 🔥: i know i don’t know her as well as his son does 

[19:25] T en 🔥: but i have treated with her and i know that she is a great woman 

[19:25] T en 🔥: take a breath, sugar and good luck  💕

Taeyong compels to the text, taking a deep breath in and letting his head fall back as he exhales. His eyes open to the dull ceiling of the elevator, trying to hold back a tear as he chuckles. 

What would he cry now? He doesn’t feel that sad, but he is certainly overwhelmed by the situation. He has come this far and he doesn’t regret anything that he has done from the start, he just has a strong need to kick everything back in the right place and make it work. 

Taeyong wants his happy, simple life with his sweet, simple boyfriend. 

And yes, he would state the facts that Ten is only a normal boyfriend to him, as special as he always finds him he knows now that he is human and no longer lives on his screen only. 

He wants to cook dinner and maybe watch Ten burn a few attempts to roast chicken, laugh trying to ‘erase’ the ‘fake freckle’ under Ten’s eye while in the shower, cuddle in the sofa while they watch netflix and fall asleep mid movie, share more cake with him at Doyoung’s cafe and perhaps argue with Ten after games because he is a sour loser. 

Taeyong just needs to reroute their thing back yo when nothing has happened online because he is not letting the Internet ruin what it first helped budding. 

He wipes away the salty water of his eyes before it can grow to a real tear and goes back to his texts. 

[19:32] Babyboy💕: i'll try my best for us baby 

[19:32] T en 🔥: you always do 

[19:32] T en 🔥: couldn’t ask for someone better

The elevator stops, opening the doors with just a small sound. Taeyong knows there's no use in postponing this moment anymore, so he steps out of the cubicle trying to gather courage. 

He can't possibly say something worse than the things his mom could find online, so at least that's an encouragement. 

He types the door password and pushes it open, entering in his house again and slowly walking to the living room where, as expected, his mother is sitting and most likely waiting for him. 

She has a book open on her lap but it quite looks like a decorative item because she is paying more attention to her son coming back in his very different outfit from when he left. 

Taeyong wonders if he has ever gripped the stripe of his cross bag so hard between his hands as he does now. 

"Lee Taeyong" she finally says with a sigh. He confirms that his full name only sounds mild in Ten's tongue at that exact moment, getting ready for a scolding. "Where do you think you can go worrying your mother like this and not coming back in all night? Where have you been, uh? You know how I was all this time? Don't ever do that again"

"I'm sorry" mutters Taeyong, lowering his head and looking to the floor ashamed. He feels guilty for leaving without saying much, but he still wishes that his mother understands that he needed to take his time. He chuckles bitterly… After scolding Ten for disappearing and worrying them, he did the same to his own mother. "I'm really sorry, mom,, I really didn’t want to do it like that"

"Don't do it again, Taeyong, promise me. Not without telling me"

"I won't do it again"

"Okay, it's okay, but at least tell me that Mister Lee gave you something to eat for breakfast, it’s important to eat proper meals"

Taeyong cracks right there and onwards, chuckle transforming into a sob as his hot tears finally roll down. He doesn't know if he should laugh or cry right now, mixing both in a choked up breath as his mother looks at him with concern. 

He lifts up his face, trying to get rid of the tears with the cuff of Ten's hoodie. 

"He still has to learn so much about cooking" he laughs, not believing himself. "But he is so witty, he always takes the bull by the horns, mom. So yeah, I ate bibimbap" 

"It's hard to make it, was it good?"

"Mom!" He complains, still between giggles and dumb tears. "Are we really going to ignore the facts and talk about my breakfast?" 

"What do you mean?" She says, sweetly, and the tailor feels like crying even more, knowing that she is trying to soothe him. 

He lets himself fall on the couch, near the armchair where she has been seating. 

"I know you must know by now… that I’m dating Ten. It’s all over the place but the thing is we didn’t want it like that”

“I saw a little bit… why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m really sorry, mom, I just tried my best to fix things with him well before doing all the other things. We didn’t have a lot of time…”

“That must have been hard…”

“A little. But I’m worried… because you must be upset because of me"

"I'm worried, Taeyongie" she says with a sigh, leaning on her palm. "Because I'm seeing you cry now and when you left you were crying as well. I’m not upset, I want you to be happy and healthy, so I hurt when I see you hurting" 

"I'm not hurting" finally manages to explain Taeyong, drying his face. "And I'm happy. With Ten, I mean. I'm sorry to tell you like this, I didn’t want to happen like this"

"And I bet Mister Lee… Ten… didn’t want this to happen like this either"

Taeyong shakes his head and smiles. "I believe he is the one that disliked it the most, he got the greatest disappointment and felt very bad. I'm sorry that I worried you but I had to go to him this time"

"Is that serious then? You have good feelings for each other?" 

Taeyong nods bashfully. 

This is not the coming out he could have made up in his mind, but neither was the relationship. 

"I'm sorry… I'm going to love a man, like this"

"Why are you apologising?" Asks his mom sadly, hurrying up to lay a hand on Taeyong’s knee and stroke lovingly while his son kept sobbing right and left. "Are you regretful of the feelings?"

"...no"

"Then why?"

"You wanted a daughter-in-law and grandsons… a family and all of that, and I… I chose something else"

"And what? Is that what concerned you?”

“Yes?”

“Oh, Yongie... Families come in a lot of shapes, and I like the one where I can be with my son. You heard me before, I want you to be happy before anything else and I bet that wouldn’t happen with a wife, right?" 

Taeyong nods, resuming his sobbing mess again, irremediably. He is so relieved he can't really hit to do anything else but to weep. 

"Really? You are not mad at me"

"God, Taeyong, of course not!" Exclaims his mother, moving like a spring to get up from her seat and hug his son, stroking his hair lovingly as he kept releasing his stress in tear format. "You don't worry about that, okay? Ten is a very good boy, I like him for you too. I knew you guys get along very well from the start… you were spending a lot of time together, right?" 

"Yeah...you put me in an awkward position with that job, mom" jokes Taeyong, laughing with the woman as they stay for a moment in the hug before letting go. 

"So… what about Ten? Does he like me or not? Thinks I'm good like my son" 

"I think he likes the son more…” he jokes, making his mother smile. “But he thinks you are a great woman" he says sincerely, since Ten really said that. 

"I'm glad to hear that, we'll have to invite him over for lunch one day, then" 

"Really?"

"Of course, I have to know my son's partner, no?"

"Yeah" nods Taeyong, but he can tell his mother catches on to the gloom of his answer. "It’s just that… right now, we are going to need a lot of patience and effort, since all people is… looking this way"

"Oh… oh, darling, I'm sorry. How does that work nowadays with celebrities?"

Taeyong shrugs. 

"We'll have to face the press and make an statement, but I'm really scared of how it can turn out"

"You don't have to be, Taeyongie. I know you are the bravest and most hardworking son that a mother could ask for. All these years I have seen how determined and focused you are when you want to get somewhere for real, a press conference, a bunch of nosy journalists, won't take you down. Not when you're more worthy than all of that"

Taeyong stares at her in silence. A few hours ago he didn’t even dare to expect such encouragement coming his way, and now his mother is giving him good words and a bit more of confidence. 

He knows his mother knows well, and would not lie to Taeyong just to please him. If she knew he was risking too much in vain, she would advise him otherwise. 

Up until that moment, Taeyong had pictured said press roll with Ten standing in front of mics and recorders, but right now, another picture occurs to him. 

What if he gave Ten all the support back? 

He sucks his lip in, thinking about it carefully, kneading the situation and it's possible ends in his mind. 

"By the way, what's with the envelope? What did you get?"

Taeyong goes back to reality, looking down to the parcel that Mark had given him earlier and that is still in his hold, for he had forgotten to leave it aside in the moment of intense preoccupation. He even sat down with his bag on. 

He flips the envelope, trying to find something that gives him a clue apart from the corporation logo that he knows his mom has recognised for the way she waits for an answer with her eyes fixed on him. 

There's barely anything to read, only a big tag with postage information, so he quits the beating around the bush and tears the top appart to extract the stack of papers inside, held by a clamp on the corner. 

His eyes scan the first words quickly, making him stop to go over them again at a slower pace to prove he has read everything well. 

He smiles, eliciting more curiosity from his mother waiting in the armchair. 

" _ To designer and coordinator Lee Taeyong, with the work of Jung Jaehyun in the make-up department and Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul as a model choice; we would like to inform you that your submission has been accepted _ " 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter until this is over (and they still can't keep their dicks on their pants, you gotta love them). I don't know what will I do when I finish posting this, it has been a big chunk of my days during a time when I don't feel good and it brings me joy *sigh* see you next Tuesday for the end!
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)  
> 


	24. Epilogue (sweet over sour)

There has probably not been many times where Lee Taeyong has been as nervous and awkward as he is at this moment. 

However, he can perfectly tell who is going through a harder moment. 

Ten slips his hands over his shoulder with a caress so careful that even Taeyong can feel his reluctance, as if he could break the entire thing between them crushing it between his hands if he dared to press too hard on his flesh. 

"You don’t have to do this" he cooed again, embracing him from behind and speaking softly. "I can do it myself, I can deal with-"

"Baby” cuts Taeyong before Ten could finish his phrase and grow even more disquieted. “We said this relationship is not about coping, didn’t we?"

Ten sighs, leaning further onto his boyfriend's back and tucking his chin on Taeyong’s shoulder, covered by the soft material of a fancy, crisp blazer he had carefully picked for the occasion to match well with his hair, slicked back in a hairstyle that surprised the model when he saw it due to the distinct change they caused on Taeyong’s features. 

He is aware of the clicks of cameras around him as soon as he does that, which doesn't help his nerves ease up, but he doesn’t really pull back as it's pretty useless at that rate. 

Taeyong pats the back of his hands, laced at his front. 

"I can do the talks this time, it was my fault that you got into this" he says quietly, speaking almost onto his shoulder. 

"Because you are a model? How conceited" joked Taeyong, trying to call upon his boyfriend's optimism. "It was me who wrote my number on your ticket like a hopeless fan of yours, I had it my way" 

To be fair, it wasn’t like Ten had tried to elude the responsibility of speaking up about Taeyong at any moment. 

In fact, the day after his decisive sleepover with Taeyong he had reached out to his manager and asked what to do. It resulted in a hours long argument between them that included a very expected scolding to Ten and the threat of retaining part of his salary for a while in result of the scandal that was going to make their sales drop. But as Ten was very -extremely- insistent in the impossibility of him giving his only starting relationship with Taeyong up, it all unraveled into a conversation about how to proceed. 

That, two days later, turned into a full meeting with Ten, the director and the staff of various departments to decide which was the best move to make. 

Thankfully, Taeyong wasn't required to attend such a messy encounter, and by only Ten's narration of it later on, he had enough of it. 

The fact that one of the things that were discussed in an entire reunion of businessmen was the level of worthiness of risking the job for a relationship -with Taeyong- that was only starting, unnerved both the model and him.

Ten was extremely mad at that.  _ Extremely _ .

However, that one pissed Taeyong a whole lot and he surpassed Ten’s rage, but at the end he pressed it down and decided it wasn’t a good idea to summon Doyoung and burn the agency to the ground with him in revenge. 

Doyoung, though, had been very supportive of making clear that Taeyong’s love business wasn't something to discuss in an office. 

Those news were delivered to the staff committee by an unapologetic make-up artist that irrumped into the second consecutive meeting in front of ten men and a very horrorized and confused Mark Lee.

Summarizing, the model agency had become a candent battlefield that, mixed up with the rising chaos of dealing with the start of the summer season, some brands cancelling their collaborations and deals with the agency for ‘ideological matters’ -that Ten had addressed more correctly as ‘so blatantly homophobic’ when he retransmited the conversation to Taeyong- and the stress of the personal assistant, had condensed into the decision of pronouncing an official statement. 

It was the coldest piece of text about himself that Taeyong had ever read, even counting his design' submissions evaluations in college and agencies. A very long cloud of hoity-toity words talking about something that the people in charge of drafting was unaware of, reducing his story with Ten to a line that stated that they 'had eventually made the decision of being partners and exploring their good feelings'.

He had very much sulked about that, unable to contain his upset mood in front of the model.

Taeyong wasn't blaming Ten nor holding him culprit for the coldness of the announcement, but it had taken Ten a nearly mortal attempt to bake cookies for the designer, -which ended up with delicious results, surprisingly- a movie and hours of cuddles and little pecks all over his face to make Taeyong stop pouting that day. 

But Ten did it, and he did it happily until they ended up giggling and commenting on the silly plot of the movie. 

Besides the bad moment after the reunion, that day Taeyong ended up being happy and had a solid night sleep nestled in Ten's arms, growing more lovingly with every touch they shared. 

It was like a locked part of Ten’s heart had opened and allowed Taeyong fully in to know an extra amount of bliss that he was unaware of, granting him the pleasure and the luxury of falling more and more into the tenderness Ten held inside.

That was how Ten was when he wasn't holding back, and Taeyong loved it. 

The morning after surprised him even more. 

His phone had been caught in a bustling activity for a week already, and the comments kept coming in a set of muted notifications that exploded everytime he dared to open his instagram to check his friend’s pictures. 

However, that day there was something different because an allowed user had put a different notification at the top bar of his phone. 

**[tenlee_1001 has tagged you in a post]**

Now that was a shocker. 

Wondering when the model had managed to post anything, he had opened quite eagerly while Ten was still knocked out on his side of the bed, as per usual. 

He paused. 

There was the lovely picture that Ten had taken of him at the museum up for everyone to see it under Ten's profile. In it, Taeyong wore his crisp white shirt, his arms crossed over his chest as he stood in front of a huge canvas observing the art, unaware of Ten's businesses snapping the image into a picture that would last with the memory.

[ **Tenlee_1001:** This situation is being so talked about lately that I didn’t know how to approach it without making people upset, but I don't want the chance to say my words about him being stolen for me so here we go, listen carefully~ This (stunning) boy that you see in this picture is Lee Taeyong, whom I have the good luck to be dating now. I know it may come as a shock for some people that had expected different things from me, and no one would like to have told the story in a different way than me, but however things are, he is still the one that has made my heart beat loud, and nothing would make me leave his side willingly. It has been a very nice turn of my fate to meet someone that had the patience needed to get to my core, or to put up with the very stupid moves I perform sometimes. I said no to myself a lot of times, and still, I fell for him irremediably. If you could meet him you would know why that is true, but for now, you’ll have to believe my words. Because before being my boyfriend, he was a very extraordinary person, a talented designer and someone whose heart is huge (i don't even know how he keeps it in his tiny chest, I guess that's why he lets me hold a part of it). However, that's why I hurt when I see people turning him down because they think he is by my side out of convenience. I tell you that if that was the case, he wouldn't have put up with our ups and downs just for the money, for the attention, or for anything, really. I'm thankful that he is by my side now, that he has put a smile on my face everyday since the day we met, and maybe (maybe) I'm a little bit selfish for this, but I hope I can say so for a long looooong time  **❤]**

Somewhere along reading the text, Taeyong’s tears -happy, touched ones- had started escaping from his control to roll down on his cheeks. 

"Stupid!" He had exclaimed, hitting Ten’s back under the covers with a flat hand that made the model jolt awake. 

He had rolled on his back to look at what was going on only to find Taeyong sobbing and, of course, get concerned about it. 

"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong?" He said, sitting up and rubbing his eye. Watching him cry, phone on hand, wasn’t something that could make the model calm down, given the situation. “What did you read? What made you ups-”

"I love you!" 

Ten froze in the spot. 

He was still half asleep, he was scared and concerned due to his boyfriend's teary state at early morning, and on top of everything, his heart was doing flips in a way that he had not experienced before.

Never. 

His mind was slowly catching up on the information, and the drowsiness didn't help with that, but his mouth and heart were faster than any of that. 

"I love you too, Yongie, what's wrong with that? Why are you crying?" 

Taeyong whimpered again, throwing his arms over Ten’s shoulders immediately to hug him so hard and sudden that Ten toppled back and almost fell off the bed with Taeyong. 

The model tried to steady their bodies as his back met the mattress with a chuckle and confusion. 

Taeyong’s lips crashed against Ten's own before he could even ask anything else, licking into his mouth with a passionate and sweet kiss that had the model grippin on Taeyong’s pajama shirt. 

They separated with a gasp, Ten’s eyes droopy with affection that filled Taeyong so perfectly, with happiness. 

"Because I do! I really do!" 

Ten chuckled confused, his heart melting with affection as Taeyong's cuteness rained on him. "Me too, babe"

"It was so cute, you are so cute! God! When did you post it?"

Ten finally understood what his boyfriend was talking about, which made him grin wide and giggle even more, hugging him closer and slipping his hands under his shirt to caress the rose inked in the skin at the small of his back. 

"When you started falling asleep during the movie yesterday" he cooed, leaving pecks on his cheeks. "I thought about taking a picture of your cute sleeping face to post that instead, but you know how grabby I am, I couldn't share that, it's only for me" 

Taeyong chuckled, slapping him again, this time on his arm. 

"I can't believe… that was so… it was so cute. Do you think all those things about me? The ones you wrote under the post?"

"Of course I do, baby, why would I lie in something like that?"

"I don't know… but it sounds so pretty after all of this. Shit, you are my… you are my angel"

"Oh, baby... I'm sorry. I know I gave you a bit of a hard time at first, when I was scared and wary of the world, and I'm very sorry for that, but I mean everything I said. I want everyone to know it's that way and not any other because I hope that everyone can understand the things I love about you"

"I swear to god, Chittaphon, if this is a joke…"

"What joke?" Chuckled the older, pulling him in again and making him roll on the bed with the little tingles of kisses and caresses drowning his body with joy. "You seriously think I would joke about something like that?"

"Not really, but this is so… it feels  _ so _ good"

“It does? Because you know how much I like to make you feel good, don’t you?” he says, smirking and scrapping Taeyong’s neck with his teeth in a playful bite that’s more playful than erotic. 

“That was the clearest thing since we met”

Ten smiled."So...did you like my post?"

"I look great, that shirt makes wonders with my waist" 

Ten had rolled his eyes and continued cherishing Taeyong with his warm cuddles and his pecks to make him fully convinced of his love, making sure the designer was absolutely loved, full of happiness to the brim. 

"You keep thinking it's the clothes that make you irresistible"

"It helps" 

"A waffle is still a waffle without the ice cream" managed to say in between the sloppy, sleepy kisses of Taeyong. 

There was no way Ten could be left with doubts about his decision while the designer stole his breath away, little by little with his small, mellow pecks. 

"Shakespeare is shaking in his coffin" 

“No, but seriously… I mean it, baby”

“I know… I know. You are unbelievable… made me fall in love with you like this”

“My best performance”

“Shut up”

"Okay… but I want to post one picture of the two of us together one day"

"In the mirror?" Asked Taeyong, pointing at the full body mirror on the corner and giggling coquettish. 

He had developed a special attachment towards the piece of glass and frame, that once have meant the only piece of Ten’s inner self he could see through the internet and was now part of Taeyong’s own life too. 

"Wherever you want, it's okay if you are there"

"I will try to model prettily like you"

"We are going to break the internet, then… but in a good way this time, okay?" 

He nodded against the crook of Ten’s neck. “Let me sleep now”

“You woke me up first, baby”

“I’ll say sorry later on, in the kitchen”

“Sex on the counter?”

“Where’s your mind!?” exclaimed Taeyong with indignation, landing a third slap on Ten's shoulder. “Breakfast”

“Oh my god, sorry. Breakfast is great, baby”

Taeyong chuckled underbreath, settling on the bed with Ten’s body locked in his arms. “It wasn’t a bad idea, though” 

The happenings from that morning had alleviated a good part of the problem, getting, as well, too many people commenting with the cap locks on under the post and expressing their support. 

That had felt infinitely good in a way Taeyong wasn't used to feeling, but of course, not everyone dates a famous model on a daily basis. 

However, it wasn’t enough. 

A week after that, when life with a boyfriend was kicking in with the full sentiment of having the comfort Ten offered around for everything, Taeyong had been out. 

He was at the go-to Starbucks with his friends again, and life seemed to be his simple happy space again where Jungwoo balanced a tray of drinks on one hand and a plate with a waffle on the other, carrying the breakfast to the table for being late. 

Johnny only could watch half of the spectacle before taking pity and getting up to help the boy with the treats. 

Taeyong smiled quietly, sharing a complicit gaze with Doyoung as they both observed the smitten smile toying with Jungwoo's lips when Johnny took the plate for him and leaned on him to give a short peck on his cheek. 

Doyoung rolled his eyes to Taeyong, mockingly, making fun of how cheesy the image was happening to be.

And of course, because karma is a bitch, Taeyong’s phone started ringing. 

He pulled it out of his purse and checked the screen to see who was calling, giving a smirk to Doyoung right away. The man seemed confused about that smug expression out of a sudden, but everything came clear when Taeyong locked his eyes with his friend and swiped on the screen to answer the call. 

"Jung Jaehyun, hello, darling" 

Doyoung’s eyes widened like plates straight away, making Taeyong chuckle as he continued with the conversation. 

"Hello, Taeyong, what do I owe the pleasure of being called darling to?" 

"I just felt loving today" he joked, watching Doyoung’s expression change from shocked to sulking, his eyebrows knitting. "What's up? You usually don't call, not to  _ my _ phone?"

Both the man at the other side of the line and the one that's sitting by him seemed to suffer a change of air towards a tenser zone, but Taeyong couldn't help it, teasing Doyoung was a sweet entertainment for him. So much, that even Ten was catching on to it and smudging smiles on Taeyong’s lips every time he pulled the baker's leg as well. 

"Actually" said Jaehyun, clearing his throat. "I just wanted to talk about work"

"Business call?"

"Yup. Basically I have been informed that our project could be launched in a couple of months to hold a photoshoot with the agency if you can get the outfit done by then. Benefits of 50% for you"

"Really? That sounds good, actually. What's your benefits margin?"

"15%. It's not bad for a makeup look and a day of photoshoot retouching"

"In two months I have time to make it well, I currently only have one commission ongoing for a tanned two piece that Haring asked for" said Taeyong, forgetting about his teasing to the men around him and leaving Doyoung to complain about it with Jungwoo and Johnny as they sat on the table again. "Are you okay with it? With the deal"

"I'm more than okay, but you see…" 

Oh, there was a but, Taeyong didn't see that one coming. Not after the public confession and the abandonment of the closet they have done in the week prior. 

"What is it?"

"Well, since you are the designer… and Ten is the model… and everyone is a bit on their toes to see what goes on between you two, the charming Instagram couple…"

"Oh no…" 

"Yeah…" he said awkwardly. "The direction team is talking about a possibility of it being troublesome, since the most obstinate people are still asking for what they call 'proper statement'. The agency doesn't want to deal with the fuss that can harm the promotion so they recommend a press roll" 

"Fuck that" spat Taeyong right away, making the other three men at the table with him turn to look at him with a certain level of surprise. "Ten is gonna hate that, I don’t want to make him go through-"

"Ten indeed hated that," Interrupted Jaehyun, delivering the news of his boyfriend already knowing the mess right away. Taeyong sunk his face on his palm. "But he said he would do it and that we can give him a week to prepare his words" 

Taeyong's head snapped up from its previous refugee. 

"He said what?"

"What did you expect, Taeyong? He cares you" he sang with the sticky voice that let the designer know Jaehyun was smiling at the other side. "Of course he is going to talk even if he loathes it. He is brave, and also just a softie under a shell. And little secret for you, but he is dying to put that set on" 

"But how can I-"

"Let him do it? He is a big boy now, he can handle it" 

"Is he around?" 

"Tennie? Nah, he was all gloomy, I'm not gonna lie. He went home or something, I'm not sure" 

"Taeyong" interrupted Jungwoo out of a sudden, eyes looking beyond him and his back. 

"Wait a second, Jungwoo, this is kinda important" 

"Yeah, I bet, but your Prince Charming is right there" he said, pointing loosely with his finger behind him with an amused smile. 

Taeyong turned around fast and looked at Ten waving awkwardly as he arrived with half of the cafeteria looking at him. 

"Oh my god, Jaehyun, nevermind, I got him. We'll talk later but I'm in for the contract. Bye" 

"Taey-"

He hung up right away. "Ten?"

"Sorry for being so sudden, I should have called you to tell you I was joining but I felt a bit..." 

"That's alright, be free to sit around" said Jungwoo, all coy. 

All the friends looked at him with a tint of reproach and some amusement too. The poor boy was finally able to meet Taeyong’s infamous date and proceed with all the questions he had in mind since the beginning of time. 

Jungwoo could be more of a press roll than whatever a real press roll had going on. 

"I'm Kim Jungwoo, nice to meet you at last!"

"I know, Taeyong has talked about you to me" Ten smiled at him, a little bit of dare slipping into his eyes. "Nice to meet you too. At last. I'm Ten Lee"

"You sure are" 

"Jungwoo" protested Taeyong. 

Ten laughed and turned towards the other men at the table, bowing politely but friendly. 

"Hello, Johnny, it's good to see you again.  _ Bunny _ , hello"

The latter knitted his eyebrows again. "You are not Jaeh-" 

“Ten” cut out Johnny. “I already apologized to Taeyong, but now that we see each other again I should apologize to you too. I’m sorry that I got you wrong when we first met, and I’m sorry that I treated you bad, being mean and annoying… I shouldn’t have assumed anything from you. I know you really take care of Taeyong and that's something really important for me because Taeyong is dear to me. You make him super happy and that can never be wrong”

“That’s a relief to hear, Johnny” sighed the model, nodding. “I didn’t want Taeyong’s friends to hate me, and you are his best friend, right? I would never want to ruin that for him, ever”

“That’s why. You are a good person. I’m sorry for real"

"I'm sorry too, I bit back. I was jealous of you two being close and not me" 

"Well, I hope we can start from zero here”

The model nodded, while Taeyong witnessed the scene speechless. Finally some good fucking news. 

Ten extended his hand to the taller and smiled. “I’m Taeyong’s boyfriend, Ten Lee, nice to meet you”

“Johnny Suh, Taeyong’s best friend” he said, shaking his hand with a wide grin. “And Jungwoo’s boyfriend”

Ten leaned in closer to whisper. “Finally, uh? Congrats”

Johnny blushed furiously, making the entire table laugh whilst the model accommodated around them. Then, Taeyong had to push himself to reality again, looking at his boyfriend.

"Jaehyun called me just now, he told me about the direction team decision"

"This man will be the end of me" whined Ten as he sat down around the table, close to the designer in a chair that he had dragged closer and fitted in a small space. "He doesn't give me time to behave like a decent human or boyfriend" 

"About that, Ten, I want to say something" 

"Don't worry, baby, I'll be talking to the press next week. For once I want you to dress me and not the opposite"

Jungwoo started laughing amused, muttering something to Johnny along the lines of "they really are like that, aren't they?", to which the older replied "Reminding you how they started".

"You two are not better than that" butted in Doyoung. 

"No, that's exactly what I wanted to talk about with you" continued the designer in his parallel conversation with Ten. 

"Taeyong, you are not renouncing to your design just because of dating me"

"Of course I won't," said Taeyong with unyielding security. "But I will do the talk, not you"

"What?"

"This is about the rumors of me faking my carreer and profiting from you, right? I will stand for myself this time"

"What?" Repeated the younger.

"I can defend myself, I don’t need anyone to do it for me. It would only give them more reasons to say I use you as my lifesaver and that's not how I want our relationship to look like. I know that what really counts is how we live it but, I'm sorry, I'm not allowing anyone to speak like that about my feelings for you. Period."

"Fuck, baby…" muttered Ten, who had not been expecting the bold speech and was honestly shocked. Yet, he knew Taeyong had been leaving gloom and preoccupation fases behind to enter full mad with the press mood. "If you want to do that then… of course. But I will stay with you all the time if you need something, I'm not washing my hands"

"I know. And yes, sure, I like that you care about me but letting you get all the trouble alone would prove them right. I don't like that" 

Ten stared at him, speechless then and still speechless now, fast forwarding to the present again. 

There're at least five cameramen, twenty photographers and another twenty people with questions ready to be shot at Taeyong when he finishes speaking, all waiting for the designer to come forward as if everything is a court trial. 

And even though the model doesn't desire to be dragged into that podium and do the talks, he also feels the void in his stomach knowing that his boyfriend is the one that has to face it. 

That's empathy, and he could say this time that Jaehyun was right when he once told him that the model would eventually regret it if he let Taeyong go, because there's no possible way in which he could swallow all those feelings down. 

In the past they were just sprouts, easy to dismiss with the excuse of fun and pleasure and the premise that Taeyong was only a pretty pastime that showed up in his life, but now the vines have expanded and his heart is full of the tiny grapes of affection. 

Secretly, in his heart, Ten treasures the moment when things shifted and Taeyong had the courage to write his number down. 

He still has the recipe in his bag.

It seems unreal that the nervous, bashful tailor that he had met months ago and could barely look at him without seeing a magazine cover person turned to be the designer boyfriend that's dressed to kill and ready to tell anyone that their prejudices are just that, prejuices. 

"I know you are going to do great," whispers Ten, still clinged onto his back. He is being vehement, trusting his boyfriend and his convictions. After all, Taeyong had always been a hardworking designer aiming high, and the model would never dare to break a dream for him. "Way better than me, just ask for help if you need me"

Taeyong turns his face to lock his eyes with Ten. 

"Since when did you become so sweet?" 

"You told me to pick a flavour or get lost so I took it seriously" 

Taeyong smiles. "I want to kiss you"

The pink hues arise under Ten's skin, painting his nose and cheeks slightly. 

"Do it"

"Later, when they need a picture of that" jokes Taeyong lightly, addressing the murmurs of the photographers trying to decide if they could get away with taking a picture of their pose right now in front of all the staff and security. "And because I like this feeling of knowing the photographers are dying right now and expecting me to close the gap, but I'm going to go with the adamant teasing you have taught me" 

That makes Ten smirk, undoing the lace of his limbs around Taeyong to let him go. 

The director of the agency, a man in his forties and with the look of someone who works shifts too long, is rushing Taeyong to step up already, so it's not like the model had many options left. 

The appointed hour has come now. 

Ten presses his hands together, tugging from his own fingers nervously as he watches his boyfriend go up the stairs of a small stage. 

He is wearing white pants with a white turtleneck, outfit wrapped up with a central piece that shapes half of a blazer completed by a set of black harness stripes at the other half of his body. 

The model's glance talks about being smitten, drowned in nerves by the side effect of that fact. 

"I told you he is a fighter" comments Jaehyun, standing beside Ten now to watch the clearing of Taeyong's name. "I told you that he could fuck anyone out there having half the obstacles, but he chose you anyways"

"I know that" sighs Ten, softly looking at him. "I just wonder why" 

"There's a lid for every pot, he just noticed you were the one before you did"

"And I'm glad he whipped me in shape to realise too" he chuckles, together with Jaehyun. Then he looks at his friend with a sneer. "But if you kiss him again I swear I will appeal to violence"

"You and how many more? You are half a meter" 

Ten is about to spit some of his witty comments to counterattack the make-up artist whose smug grin is spreading, perhaps something that would include Doyoung and the soft state in which both of them move when they see each other. However, the intervention of his boyfriend puts everything away and makes him look up to him like an obedient puppy that Jaehyun is amazed to see. 

"Good morning, everyone, and thank you for attending this press conference. I'm the designer Lee Taeyong"

"Say it, king" mutters Jaehyun, receiving a punch from the model right on his arm. 

"Within the last three weeks I have been involved in the hot topic section of news outlets for a reason that's quite not what I wanted to achieve. For years I have worked very hard and with passion to reach my goals as a designer, and I have invested myself in tasks to get my money, my studies, experience, and so on; things which are written down in the official documents if you want to check"

That is true, and he is ready to debunk any rumors about his lack of knowledge or talent in case anyone tried to deny him. 

"The thing here is that this world, the fashion world, seems big and is still not so much so. A designer needs a model to make his designs come to live with the correct sentiment that he wants to portray, like a performer; and a model needs a designer that can shape the flow of their artistry with tangible shapes"

Ten sucks in a breath while Jaehyun nodds to Taeyong’s speech by his side. 

"Meeting Ten was something that came as a surprise to me, but I knew that he was the model of my designer’s ambitions, an ideal type, you may say. So much so, that we armonized outside of the papers too and I slowly fell for him. I was lucky enough to get to be told he feels the same. There’s nothing I like more than to know I have his hand to take mine, but I wouldn't like to give up my ambitions as a designer for him, so I would like to make people understand that if we work together from now on, the work will be born from my feelings, yes, but from my efforts too. He is the model of my eyes and my boyfriend from the heart, and I always will like to combine both without mixing the concepts. I hope you all can tell them apart as well" 

He takes a breath in, after exposing his entire point from beginning to end. 

Hearing the hustle of the journalist writing and recording his words, the photographers snapping pictures and the murmur of questions being consulted with one another; he turns his head to the model, looking at him with soft eyes. "Does anyone have any questions?" 

A journalist lifts his hand, and Taeyong gestures his head to give him the floor. 

"With the timing of your appearance in the Fashion Week of Seoul and your relationship coming to light, is easy to think that you used Ten Lee to make contacts. What can you say in your defence?" 

Ten looks daggers at the man, but Taeyong just forces out a smile. 

"I know it's easy to make the conclusion, but it’s nothing more than the easy way to think about it. Miss Lee Harin contacted me to hire my service to wear at said event. She did it from her own brand, which is not even related to this agency, so refrain from linking those facts because as I said, with our jobs being similar it was easy that we ended up at the same event" 

Another woman lifts his hand and doesn't wait to pronounce her question. 

"Hello, Mister Lee, this is Oh Areum from High Cut" 

Taeyong tries to not make his eyes widen at the mention of that big platform that he has always read and liked. "Yes, miss?" 

"First I would like to congratulate you. It's a brave move to come forward after a lgbt scandal. However, my question is regarding whether are you planning to collaborate together, since you mentioned it. If so, can you give a little input about the concept? We are interested in your approaches"

Taeyong nods, flattered although trying to be professional. "I have such plans, and Ten agrees with them, so I would really like to launch the photoshoot. It's centered in details and I think Ten could pull it off best because he is very meticulous with those things" 

"Thank you for the answer. Please, I'll like to give you our contact later "

"I'm here for that, and yes, I will take that gladly. Next question"

"So you can allegue that you don’t have anything to do with the financial matters of Ten Lee?"

"Sir" blurts out Taeyong, impressed with the directness of the question. In the bad way. "I can thankfully say that I don't have economic problems with my own job. I'm not aware of Mister Lee's monthly income number right now either, and it's not a problem for me. I don't have access to his money in any way, plus, he would receive his part of salary if we work together. Now I want to please beg you to not suggest something like that again, it's degrading towards my work"

"So when do you plan to make the photoshoot public?" 

"It’s programmed to be out in a couple of months, maybe three with the production processes, if everything goes down as planned"

"How did you meet?" Asked yet another journalist, joining the battery of questions to take it back to the personal field. 

"He needed to get an outfit fixed and saw the tailoring store where I worked. Summarizing, a coincidence"

"Are you planning to get married?"

He almost choked with his own spit, laughing it off quietly. "I think it's very soon to talk about that yet… I guess… In the future"

The designer can hear the long and amused guffaw of Jung Jaehyun coming from the side of the stage, but he doesn’t know that the thing that amuses him the most is Ten’s eyes becoming wide as his face heats up in red. 

"Do you live together?"

"No, we don't" 

"Who is older? Is there an important age gap?"

"I don’t know what you are trying to suggest with that question, but I'm half a year older and everything is absolutely consensual"

"Are you happy with him?"

"Very" he confesses, a shy smile making his lips curl up. "He is a good boyfriend, I couldn't have aimed better" 

"Same!" Adds Ten from the back, making the journalist and even Taeyong laugh in unison. 

"You heard that, ladies and gentlemen, I hope that is put in your reports" 

The stress starts lifting up, the journalist from High Cut breaking the silence first looking at the model.

"Mister Lee, would you give a comment about a future work with Lee Taeyong?" 

"Well, I…" he starts, stepping up with the attention of everyone in the room including the shiny eyes from his boyfriend, growing happy with how they are handling a situation that, at first, was their reason to postpone a real relationship. They had grown together, and he could onlybstart imagining how much they could achieve in the future if theybstayed together. "I just wish that people can give us the opportunity to show it in the actual photoshoot. Taeyong is an amazing designer and he works very hard, so he deserves it"

Taeyong looks at him with a fall of his lids, a bat of his lashes, that makes Ten have a chill, guessing very fast what he is about to do and feeling how his body becomes stiff with anticipation, fear and emotion all together. 

Affection floods him while Taeyong approaches him, lacing his arms around Ten’s neck and putting an end to the crazy progression of their secret's end to share it with everyone else. 

His eyes shut just as if his lids weigh a ton, welcoming the light touch of Taeyong’s lips molding to his. He distinguishes the slight restreint of his kiss, wanting to have a deeper touch that represents the real length of his happiness, relief and love; but he is making it just sweet and tender to the eyes of everyone going crazy for this confession. 

"I love you" whispers Ten, almost inaudible, onto his lips so just Taeyong can hear his confession.

He had said it before, but the model wants to repeat it now with a new significance, saying it from the bottom of his heart and showing that to the designer without the need of him saying it first. 

"I love you too" 

*******

"Is it me or does Ten look good with a perm?" Aks Taeyong, legs swinging from the dressing table while Doyoung, for the surprise of the designer, tries to get the correct shape of his cupid's bow with the brush as he experiments with a glossy lipstick. 

Doyoung has been getting bolder ever since Jaehyun gave him the push of confidence he needed to swim outside his comfort zone; and although he had used just a little bit of gloss and is trying to hide it when he leans on the table, Taeyong smiles amused. 

"You are not an objective judge, you made the clothes he is wearing. Ah, and you have been dating him for almost three months now" sings Doyoung, mocking him. 

Even Taeyong himself can barely believe that those words are true. 

After months of work, sewing and restarting the project a thousand times because he was unsatisfied every time, this day arrived. 

It had taken time, hesitation, and a lot of nights of Ten dragging him out of his studio so he had proper sleep. 

He often complained that he wasn't done for the day and that he felt like he wasn't moving forwards, but Ten got to be persuasive with a few whispers and hugs. That, or that Taeyong wasn't so hard to convince when it came to go to sleep curled up next to his boyfriend and under the pink, fluffy duvet of his bed. 

Because his mother was growing more and more fomd of Ten and there was not really a reason to avoid her in their home, so Ten had been sleeping at Taeyong’s house some days.

Gladly, Ten had shown up in his life right in time to not let Taeyong’s work's promotion drive him crazy and absolutely careless of his health.

He loves his idiot.

"Yeah, but it was your Romeo that had the idea of curling his hair" says Taeyong, nudging his friend, secretively. 

Doyoung pushes him away with a roll of his eyes, but he looks in the dressing table direction where Jaehyun is posed in front of Ten, slowly painting on his eyelids trying to get the white wing that pulls every other stroke together as flawlessly as possible. 

He then peeps at Ten with that mushroom of black curly hair, his lips tugging up in a smile. 

"He looks like a poodle" he says, loud enough to make Jaehyun giggle together with him. 

Ten flips his face towards Doyoung with his brows knitting. 

"Dickhead, at least I know how to match my lipstick with eyeshadow"

"Yah!" Barks Doyoung as well, getting up from the place he had been leaning against. "What did you say!?" 

He looks like he is about to throw hands, and Taeyong can’t help but giggle at the relationship his friend has developed with Ten, always pushing and pulling each other. Ten usually does it jokingly, but Doyoung gets into the fight seriously, just like it happens when Taeyong teases him. 

“Taeyong, I swear, drag him out of this room, I can’t work like this”

“I’m not your bodyguard, baby” teases Taeyong, joining his friend’s side for a brief second. “Just the designer”

“Is the little superstar annoyed?" Smiled Doyoung smug. "Stop complaining, all that you have to do is looking lavish”

“If it’s so easy then wear it yourself and make people engage!”

“I beg you two to not ruin my brand” adds Taeyong, this time supporting his boyfriend. 

The model laughs loud. 

"Hey, little superstar" steps in the make-up artist, rescuing the appelative that Doyoung had used just a moment before. "Stay still, or this eyelash curler will turn into a mortal weapon" 

"You heard that, idiot, stay put" 

"Yeah, but he was right, that's not the lipstick that suits you" croons Jaehyun, smirking at Doyoung until his cheeks blush. He had noticed the effort, at least. "I'll help you with that later, bunny, I'm almost done with Ten" 

He blushes harder for the usage of the name in front of everyone to see. 

Once they all shut up and the friendly teasing is gone to distract him anymore, Taeyong is so giddy he can’t stop tapping his legs.

When Jaehyun gives the last touches to Ten's makeup, he calls up the designer for approval, and he gives the green flag fast. 

Because he can't stare at Ten's purposely seductive eyes, specially painted with a style that he had chosen, for too long without his legs becoming weak in front of a crowd of staff getting the photoshoot ready. 

He knows that lovely drop of Ten's eyelids halfway, and the light smile that reaches his pupils, lighting up with fondness. Those are the eyes he gives him when he wants a kiss or when he stands by Taeyong in the kitchen, watching fascinated how he cooks. 

It's the affectionate look that he flaunts when his infatuation for Taeyong grows a pinch bigger.

And as the model leaves to the changing room, Taeyong knows his heart is not up for better.

Dressing Ten up has always been something in his bucket lists as a designer, but now is not only that but also a reason for his heart to speed up. 

He has so many reasons to be unsettled, feeling the luckiest man alive dating Ten. 

He even knows that the thai is secretly nervous, not wanting to say a word to not contribute to Taeyong’s descent towards anxiety in his first paid photoshoot but aspiring to give the best poses to the photographers and all that’s on his hand to make it work. 

While Doyoung and Jaehyun seem to start playfully fighting behind his back with the unyielding decisions of the younger to make Doyoung wear red lipstick, he starts fidgeting with his own fingers, minutes passing by as the butterflies on his stomach become more and more active. 

And when he finally sees him, he has to blink fast, almost wanting to slap himself just in case he has fainted and started living inside an hallucination. 

Ten appears with his curly hair and his eyes -which are now blue due to contacts- painted with silver strokes, his lips coated with a mate layer of brownish nude color, and his orbs staring back at him with questions dotting his pupils. The delicate material of the stretchy outfit and the glossy finish of the accessories hugging his waist, his chest… It has Taeyong gawking. 

The pearls decorate the outfit, and yet Taeyong’s eyes are transfixed in Ten’s appearance like the shiniest of them all. 

He chews his bottom lip, feeling his cheeks become red with Ten waiting for his outfit fixes once more. 

Just like it had started. 

"Looks good?" Smiles Ten, rolling his head to the side a little bit. 

Taeyong has no time to find the teasing annoying among all the things he is feeling. His eyes stress the vision of the model, passing him with the look and drinking a little bit too much of his body. 

He finally snaps his head up, remembering that, this time too, he is in the presence of a professional team. 

He hurries up towards Ten, trying to make it look like he didn’t just have an entire pause in his functioning. 

"Come here, this strap is a bit loose" he says, messing with one of the silver buckles that ties the harness-like adornations of his outfit right at the bottom of his ribs, ignoring how his own hands shake. 

It's hard to explain how to someone that hasn't been in love, but he can sense the puzzled expressions on Ten's face without lifting his head to stare. 

"I don’t? Don’t look good?"

Taeyong, be for the nerves or for the way Ten's velvety voice unsettles him more, tuggs from the strap hard enough to make Ten gasp. 

That's another jab of unhelpful thoughts going through Taeyong’s brain. 

He finally puts the strap where it's meant to, and his attention travels up to look at The Model. He can't fight the impulse of holding his chin with his hand, delicately brushing the skin at his cheek with his thumb. 

"You are the most gorgeous person I have ever seen"

The pink dust on his cheeks and the slightly wide blow of his eyes betrays Ten, who as a boyfriend is less intimidating than he used to be as the fuckbuddy with no boundaries. 

"T-thanks"

"Is it comfortable?" Asks the older, tugging a bit from the straps. "You can breathe well?"

"I have problems breathing but it may be just because I got to work with this new designer I have a crush on" 

Taeyong smiles, as amused as endeared. "You have a crush on me?”

“From the first fucking minute” he whispers, the tone making all the blood in Taeyong’s body stop, as if turning thicker and intoxicating his senses. 

Ten’s hands caress his arms down, and his mind is barely able to fully understand the response before he is already talking again. 

“Liar”

“Is not a lie, I was so… dazed. You were so cute, so delicate… I couldn’t just not have you”

“I'm sure that sweet tongue gets you all the pretty boys' phone numbers"

"Thankfully, at least one boy's number" he cooes, sweetly swaying as he lets Taeyong fix the fit, tucking fabric in the specific places to make it look perfect. "The one I care about"

"Is it itchy? The fabric"

"It’s not, Taeyong, stop worrying"

"I just want it to be perfect. I…" He stops, the air caught in his throat with the words that make it feel stuffy. There's a ball of affection that he has built and it's now fighting to go out. 

"You?"

"I have had this outfit in my mind for a long time now, waiting for someone who could pull it out. Waiting for you, knowing that only you would make it justice. And it's not the clothes, it's the entire thing. It was like a dream for me and… I'm living you everyday now, Ten, I know now that that's the kind of dream I always wanted" 

The model pauses, and the world seems to do it as well. Even the lighthearted argument between Doyoung and Jaehyun seems to lose volume behind them and submerge them in a silence. 

Ten's heart swells, and Taeyong knows about the genuine love that drips from his blue eyes.

"Don't make me cry, I'm wearing contacts and a whole lot of makeup" 

"It’s so unbelievable for me," Taeyong says nonetheless, as Ten’s tears pool at his lash line. "How just a coincidence at a store and a hot-headed moment gave me so much. At the end I made you said that you are mine"

"I'm so absolutely yours" sighs Ten, eyes not leaving Taeyong’s face. 

In that moment, Jaehyun appears from nowhere and almost shoves the tip of a cotton swab on Ten's eyes to make the tears get absorbed before they plunge. 

"Taeyong, have mercy on him" jokes the make-up artist. "For the sake of my art" 

Taeyong laughs, and the sound is so fluent and fresh that he doubts he has ever been that happy before. 

He hasn't been a sad man for a long time, but the level of happiness right now just blinds him, a light shading the entire world but Ten’s shiny teeth composing a bright smile that matches his. 

He doesn't need a spotlight to be the main protagonist of his life. 

"Mister Lee… both of them" says a member of the staff, awkwardly in the second part. "Everything is ready for shooting, are you done?" 

Taeyong nods, giving the sign for everyone to start moving. 

He knows what's the first picture he is going to frame when Ten and him move out together. 

He knows quite well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's already the time to say goodbye and at the same time, I know it has been long. 
> 
> I can't thank you all enough because never in my existence of writtig fanfics (that has been a while now, with thumblr and af before ao3) I have seen one of my works get so much support and feedback. I hope you all know how grateful I am for your company every week, since the lockdown and overall scene in the world right now has damaged my mental health and I'm not at my best. Having you every week was something to feel happy and proud about, so endless thank yous to you guys for giving this your time and your effort to the point of having some of you commenting weekly.
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed this story and felt happy exploring this universe with me. I also have to say that (as a few people requested) there's going to be a JaeDo spin-off coming out soon as a separate one-shot. If you guys are interested I reccommend subscribing to my user here or following me on twitter so you don't miss it! 
> 
> Goodbye guys, I hope to see you all soon!
> 
> [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/leechailatten)   
> 


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